Interim Coach Naushad Moosa Spoke To Us After The Blues’ Defeat To FC Goa, On Conceding The Playoff Race, Dimas Delgado’s Return, Suresh Wangjam’s Goal And More…
On how the game against Goa panned out…
When you give away easy goals, it becomes difficult to get back into the game. After they scored, we had some opportunities with Sunil’s headers and Cleiton hitting the bar but it was not easy. Goa were compact, they were dropping back and didn’t give us enough room to create. Tactically, they were better than us and I am not happy with the way things panned out, because I know we could have done better.
On the pressure of qualifying for the playoffs…
There was no pressure at all and there were no high expectations placed on the team. We wanted to come out here and play as well as we could because the chances of qualifying were really slim. Our aim was to put on a good performance and try to get the three points, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. This is a result and a season that we will learn from.
On Suresh Wangjam’s first goal…
I hope the goal gives Suresh confidence that he can go up and score. I have been telling him that when he is on the wing, it is important to cut inside and utilise those opportunities. Today he did that and I am really happy for the boy. It is unfortunate that the result didn’t go our way, but I hope the goal that Suresh scored is the first of many for him.
On Dimas Delgado’s return…
It’s always nice to have Dimas in the squad because he brings in a level of experience and calm that very few players possess. His fitness levels were a concern because he hadn’t played for almost a month, but Dimas always gives his best when on the pitch and that’s a very good thing for the team.
On the final game of the season…
I know it will be tough to motivate the players for the game against Jamshedpur FC, because they have never been in a situation like this before. I could see that their levels dropped towards the end of the game against Goa. I know that they tried their best, but unfortunately the result didn’t go our way. Over the next few days we will assess the squad and see what to do. The game against Jamshedpur gives me the opportunity to bring in some more youngsters.
