Basil Sylvester Pinto
PANAJI
FC Goa may have hit rock-bottom again after their sixth loss of the season but the Gaurs' assistant coach Fernando Vannucci has expressed confidence that Zico's men will bounce back with a win over visiting NorthEast United at Fatorda on Friday.
In a highly-heated last game against the Kerala Blasters in Kochi three days earlier, the Gaurs went down fighting with nine men on the field. What complicates matters for the basement dwellers is that they will be without their highly influential foreign players -- midfielder Richarlyson Felisbino and central defender Grégory Arnolin, who were both red-carded in the last game.
While the Brazilian Richarlyson has had a telling impact on the side securing Man of the match awards in both their wins in Mumbai and Pune, the Frenchman Grégory with his beastly presence in the heart of the citadel, has on recent form, thwarted many ominous looking attacks. There is also a question mark over the availability striker Robin Singh, who was substituted in Kochi with an apparent injury to his left arm.
In the recent away games in Pune and Kochi, Brazilian strikers Júlio César, who was combining well upfront with Rafael Coelho and their last season’s goal poacher, Reinaldo did not travel with the side as they stayed in the infirmary. Replying to a question whether FC Goa could field a two-man strikeforce against the NorthEast, Vannucci said. “First of all we do the formation according to the players that are available to us. We do not cast our mind on any formation be it 4-4-2 or something else ahead of our concern which is the players available to play. After we see the opposition, the way they play, who they will play or not, then only we put our formation into place and the way the players will play."
"On Robin, he is a great player who had a very big injury last year. He is trying to give his best and hopefully he will be able to play. After the practice ahead of the game, we would know. A decision on who would play is taken after realising the players’ physical condition and talking to them,” Vannucci told The Goan Everyday.
With FC Goa having done reasonably well recently with the reliable Luciano Sobrosa manning a three-pronged defence, the Gaurs have played Sanjay Balmuchu as a defensive midfielder. But Vannucci did not give a clear indication whether Zico will persist with the same personnel at the back.
“Everything depends on our practice and how Zico looks at the things. Luciano after the last game had a minor injury near his left eyelid. But he will play if we need him. He is a warrior, a player always ready to give everything. We are in a war, on a battleground and we will do our best to win,” Vannucci explained.
Indications from the Goa camp are that creative midfielder Jofre Mateu González will return to action and the Spaniard is keen on making a statement to keep the semi-final hopes of the Gaurs alive. FC Goa is a side that can be associated with theatricals and dramatic turnaround in fortunes. Who can forget last year’s dramatic final at Fatorda against Chennaiyin FC and in more recent memory, their last game in Kochi? Even in terms of comebacks, you can never count them out until they are actually out.
To start with, the Gaurs need to shrug off three consecutive home losses and rise to the surface again with an inspirational team effort win against a depleted NorthEast side who will miss their goal-miner Emilano Alfaro due to suspension.
