The Boss Discusses A Heated Game, Balance In The Squad, Confidence And Braulio’s Replacement…
On his analysis of the game and the number of cards being shown in the second half…
It was a very open game today. Yellow cards are always a danger, because you make one more mistake and you are out. The same happened with Rahul in the last game, and today it happened with Chennai. It’s a part of the game, and you have to manage it as much as you can. It was a very good game, as they are one of the most difficult teams we have played so far. They have pushed us, and when they got the goal, they were good. They also had another chance to level scores with the penalty. So yes, I think we were lucky in few aspects of the game, but we overall had a good show.
On Miku and Chhetri’s partnership…
We are lucky to have Miku and Chhetri, they are our main men up front. But it’s also important to build up well and have that necessary balance. The last few games, we are trying to find out our best combination, because you need to see how many foreigners you have to play in terms of giving that perfect balance to your squad. Sometimes it changes, depending upon the performances of the players. The games are coming thick and fast, and that’s the most difficult part for us. But we are okay with it and really happy for the both of them.
On scoring early goals…
To score is never a bad thing. Sometimes, scoring right at the beginning, is a tough thing to cope with. It happened in Kolkata as well, but today I think we managed the situation well. Because everybody knew that it would be difficult to just keep the possession of the ball. We knew we had to punish them on counters, and we did well. Even in the firs half we had a few opportunities to get the second goal, but they too fought back with the equalizer. It could have been a different second half, but the two circumstances, the sending off and the penalty changed the game in my opinion. Our team has the capability and took full advantage of the situation. We have good players who can keep the ball and control the situation. In the last 20 minutes, we didn’t have any major problems, and I think it was a fair result.
On the importance of a good balance in the team…
As I said, its about having a good balance in the team. If you have good strikers, but you can’t create those chances, or win the ball back for your team, you will suffer and have a lot of problems. It’s not just me, but every single coach will tell you the same thing. Sometimes, you will miss a few players, like today Rahul was out of action for us, and wonder what if the full team is available always. But it’s also time to look forward and think about the back-to-back games we play, because the equation can change a lot. I think we are closer to our first objective of being in the top-four, but we must focus on the four games, which are difficult. I am happy with our performance, and today it was not just about the result, but also about the confidence of winning against a good team.
On Braulio Nobrega’s replacement…
We would like to replace him. We are looking for someone, but it’s not easy. A lot of markets have closed, although we have till the 15thFebruary. We are looking for a player and let’s see if we can find someone who can help the team.
On brimming with confidence after three back-to-back wins…
The confidence can never be extremely high because we have to be humble, since nothing is done yet. Anyone from the last-four can win the competition even though we are currently leading the standings. Let’s keep going one game at a time and be prepared for it.
