The Boss Talks About The Big Win, Play-Offs, Resting Players And More…
On being the first team to seal a spot in the play-offs…
I am very happy for everybody, especially for those who haven’t played too much because today they have proved that they deserve to be here. It’s not easy, as we made the decision on resting Miku earlier today to avoid any risk and the team was disappointed, but they put on a fantastic show. I’m extremely happy for our supporters as well, who have been wonderful throughout. They go home with a big smile, and that makes us happy.
On resting top-scorer Miku and Udanta…
It might be an issue of muscle overload, but we have to check again. Let’s hope it’s not that serious after the doctors assess it. In my initial plans, Miku was supposed to play the game. He has been in top form recently and brings in a lot, and it could have been a good game for him to play as well. Also, with Udanta, he’s an explosive player, but we can’t risk him with so many back to back games as we need to take care of them. Today everyone was good, and in fact even Sunil didn’t want to be substituted at the end, but he understood it. Let’s be humble and think that nothing is done yet. We need to keep winning in these last three games and be ready for the play-offs.
On the approach for the remaining games with a play-off berth secured…
I know we are there. But there are three more games to play in the league phase. We can prepare for he play-offs in a calm and composed manner, but it is also important to not lose the momentum and keep working as we did, that’s the aim.
On finding the elusive balance in the team…
By now it seems, that we must’ve found the balance in our team, but every game is different. All the teams are different, and you have to keep that in mind as well. Today, it was not easy to keep a clean sheet against Goa, as they were the top-scorers in the league. So, you have to take this feedback from every match and then assess your team. But at the moment, my job isn’t easy because everyone in my team has shown that they are in good condition and that they’re ready to play. We have the AFC Cup game in three days, and those that haven’t played have got another opportunity to play and get a good result in Maldives.
