Interim Coach Naushad Moosa Spoke About His Side’s Defeat To SC East Bengal, Performances Of The Youngsters And The Road Ahead…
On the game against East Bengal…
It is always disappointing to lose a game but the positive thing is the way we played. We wanted to keep the ball and rotate possession, and we were doing that. We created a lot of scoring opportunities, especially in the second half. We just have to find the finishing touch, haven’t scored in a few games now. With another match in two days’ time, it won’t be easy to rectify things right away. We have a good gap after the match against NorthEast [United] to do it.
On the performances of Parag and Ajith…
Parag [Shrivas] played very well against East Bengal. He played with confidence, the way he was moving on the wings, his throw-ins, his dribbling and passing – I am very happy with his performance. Ajith [Kumar] is also a young lad who was playing in a big match. We have to stay positive and see that he improves with every game.
On Parag’s condition…
It was just bad luck for him, after playing so well. I don’t think it is a serious injury, but we had to take him off as a precaution. He should be available for the next game.
On Udanta’s half time substitution…
Udanta [Singh] is a player who needs space to make his runs and East Bengal were playing very deep. There wasn’t a lot of space for him to run into. That’s why he was taken off at half time, with Kristian (Opseth) coming on and Cleiton (Silva) moving to the right. And that made a big difference in the second half.
On the misfiring attack…
Nobody wants to miss chances. We tried our best. We were attacking more today, we created a lot of chances and we just have to work on our finishing. I am happy with the way the boys played.
On the morale in the squad…
A losing streak can happen anytime for any team. The players aren’t weighed down by it and you can see that in the way they played today. The season isn’t over, we still have ten games left. They were very positive in the dressing room and they really wanted to get the three points tonight. I am really proud of them.
On the fight for a playoff spot…
There are ten games left, that means we have thirty points up for grabs. I don’t think the playoff spots are out of reach in any way. The way the boys played today, with confidence, I am positive about our chances.
On possible moves in the transfer window…
As of now, we aren’t pursuing anyone in the transfer market. With Carles’ departure and me coming in, I did not have a lot of time to even think about that. We will be having conversations with the management before we come to any decision regarding that.
