Interim Coach Naushad Moosa Spoke About His Side’s Draw Against Odisha FC, The Performance Of The Team, Playoff Chances And More…
On the game against Odisha…
I think we should have won this game because towards the end we created so many chances. Most of the opposition goalkeepers have been excellent against us. More than me, I can see the frustration in my players. They have been pushing and giving their best. In the second half, we created a lot of goalscoring opportunities – especially in comparison to the first half. We have to keep our head high, keep moving and stay positive.
On the lack of creative and defensive strength…
I don’t agree that we are lacking in creativity, you can see how many chances we have been creating in each game. We are keeping the ball well, moving it around and are being creative. But yes, there is room for improvement even in that aspect. It’s true that we have to work on our defensive game; we have to be more compact because we are giving away easy chances and goals. It doesn’t take much for us to get back to winning ways, we just have to convert the chances we create.
On Chhetri’s performance…
Sunil [Chhetri] is a mature player and he is taking very good care of the team. I always see him trying to motivate the players and I wouldn’t say that the pressure is too much for him. He’s our captain and he works very hard to keep the team together, motivated and positive before each game.
On Leon’s performance…
Leon [Augustine] was really good. He started on the bench only because I wanted to use the experience of Udanta [Singh] and his speed. When Leon came on, he made a big difference and impressed me. We’ll analyse the Hyderabad plays and then make a decision on whether he can start that game.
On Bengaluru’s chances going ahead…
The top spot might be a little far fetched but the playoffs are definitely within our reach. Other than ATK Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC, the other teams are close on the table. If we won today, we’d be even closer to the top four following Hyderabad FC’s draw against Jamshedpur. Giving up is not an option because we are Bengaluru FC. We have seven games in hand, we are going to stay positive and we’re going to fight for every single point.
