The Blues Take The Road For Three Away Games On The Spin And The Boss Expects His Boys To Rise To The Challenge

On goals coming from both, set-pieces and open play…

I’m really happy we could score through open play against Delhi on Sunday. Set-pieces have always been an important weapon in our armoury and Carles Cuadrat is doing a fantastic job on that front. We took advantage of our strengths and when I look back, we deserved to score four or more. The team was really focussed, the boys pressed well, won the ball back often and created so many chances. We were superior from start to finish and that makes me very happy.

On the prospect of three away games on the spin…

Away game are always a tough prospect and can determine your season in a big way. We knew this but learnt it even more last season. We had started with three wins in three games at home before we travelled. And then we went eight games without a win. That spell has only made us more aware of how quickly things can swing in football. We’ve only played two games now and I felt we were far better against Delhi than we were against Mumbai. But it’s important that our commitment is exactly the same when we travel away and for the rest of the season.

On Miku getting a goal against Delhi…

I’m very happy for him. He had so many opportunities in the game against Mumbai and even in the first half against Delhi. He did a very good job for the team in both games and you can see why he is one of the top players in the League. He knows he is more than just a striker, he has the responsibility of pushing the boys around him, he runs back to defend, picks the right passes and keeps the ball when necessary.

Is it possible to keep the same intensity through the season?

I would like if we played every game like we did against Delhi but it isn’t as easy as it sounds. At home, we know our fans impact the result and that can happen to other teams when we travel to their home. But like I said, we are going to travel with an aim of playing to our strengths and we’re going to believe that we will return with a fair number of points.