The Boss Spoke About The Need To Treat Each Game As A Final, Injuries, Suspensions And More. Excerpts…

On the away fixture against Aizawl…

It’s a difficult phase for us and we’ve come to a tough place to play against a team that has been doing well. They are yet to drop any points at home. It is difficult but it isn’t impossible.

On suspensions and injuries to his defence…

Johnson has played the games against Churchill and East Bengal with a fractured rib. It’s an injury that affects his play a lot and he is undergoing treatment at the moment. It’s difficult to count on him to make a return for the next game against Mumbai but we will see how things go. Chhuantea and Rino should be joining the team next week at training and that will help us.

On the mood in the camp after five winless games…

We cannot afford to be negative or else Aizawl will get the result they want. We have to do our best in the circumstances we find ourselves in. We have enough quality to win tomorrow.

On the Blues’ chances of winning the title…

It’s still possible to win the title. It’s hard given the start we had but we want to change the dynamics and a win against Aizawl could change our luck. We have to treat the game as a final. We need to keep our emotions in check and keep our focus.

On the result from the Kolkata derby…

The fact that the Kolkata derby ended in a draw does help us but I don’t really want to focus on others. Things have to depend on us. We need to take three points at a time. We have enough quality in the squad to change our fortunes.