PANAJI
FC Goa will host newcomers Punjab FC for the Gaurs’ opening fixture of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 season at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Monday.
The home side kick-off their season with the appointment of a new head coach in Manolo Marquez along with the arrivals of seasoned India internationals such as Sandesh Jhingan and Udanta Singh in the transfer window. Punjab FC, on the other hand, suffered a defeat in their inaugural ISL match against the Mohun Bagan Super Giant and hence will be in pursuit of securing their first points from the campaign in this game.
Marquez has come to Goa with an impressive reputation and there will be pressure on him to deliver as per those expectations. Multiple domestic stars like Raynier Fernandes, Rowllin Borges, and Boris Singh will add quality to their roster and a win in front of their home crowd could help the team set the momentum for the rest of the campaign.
“The first game is important when you start the season. Of course, when we won the ISL title, we (Hyderabad FC in 2021-22) lost the first game 1-0 against Chennaiyin FC. So, it doesn’t mean that if you lose the first game of the season then you can’t win the Cup," Marquez said in the pre-match press conference.
"But in a new club it’s better, because you are still in a process and it is easier to get the confidence of the players if you win the three points in the first game.”
Punjab FC played well in phases against the Mariners but they need to bring in greater consistency and composure to their performances to fare well against seasoned ISL outfits. They will need to tighten up their backline to avoid the defensive errors they committed in Kolkata, given that Marquez’s teams will be waiting to pounce upon such opportunities after doing their homework of analysing Punjab FC’s previous match.
Punjab FC head coach Staikos Vergetis spoke about the team’s loss in the first game and certain tactical observations he has made in the ISL.
“In the first game, we got the result that was not good for us. We had some good periods but we have to increase those in the coming games. We will try to play more minutes of good football and I am sure that it will come to us on a game-to-game basis," Vergetis said.
"Generally, there are more transitions in the ISL games. We can see many transitions with the ball moving very quickly from one area to another. There are even continuous transitions at times. It makes the game more interesting, beautiful, and faster,” the coach added.
