Basil Sylvester Pinto
PANAJI
The equation for the Gaurs to make it to their third successive play-offs overcoming the odds in as many attempts is strung on silken thread. Another slip-up and their hopes crash in the heap at the bottom that they are in already.
FC Goa, save for two brief instances when they moved up a rung, have had the ignominy of being at rock-bottom in the course of this edition of the League. However, their faithful still believe that the herd of Gaurs is resilient to empower themselves over obstacles that come their way to secure maximum points in their all three remaining league engagements.
They may be the wooden-spooners with 11 points from as many games, but can take solace from the fact they have pocketed four points from their last two outings, both at home, a win against the Highlanders and the Mumbai side which has since been the table-toppers.
While the benchmark for securing the top-four playoff spots was 22 points last season, it was significantly lower -- at 19 points -- in the inaugural edition of the ISL. While FC Goa topped the league table with 25 points last season, they finished second with 22 points in the first season. If they manage to win their last three matches, FC Goa can still garner 20 points that will keep them in the hunt for the playoffs. Denzil Franco, the FC Goa defender who is yet to get a game this season due to fitness issues, feels 20 points will suffice to make it to the playoffs.
However, theoretically it may not be a distinct possibility with the mathematics working out to the goal differences as well. The Gaurs (-6) on that score are vastly inferior to the other sides that are hopeful to get to the playoffs. But as we have seen in one of the recent games, a thumping one-sided win cannot be ruled out. Still, it's a big ask from this Goa side which is still finding its feet after a wretched first half of the tournament. Adding to the difficulty of the task at hand, the Gaurs play former champions Atlético de Kolkata and Chennaiyin FC and the most impressive team of this season, Delhi Dynamos in their last three matches.
FC Goa will be bolstered by the return of defenders Luciano Sobrosa and Rafael Dumas, and with Grégory Arnolin in the heart of the citadel, Zico's men will strive to keep another clean sheet at home. The Gaurs, however, need their playmaker Jofre Mateu González back at his full powers to feed the attackers. After a week’s rest, the Goa fans would be hopeful that their Spanish midfield general will start against ATK, to allow Rafael Coelho -- who played in a withdrawn role in the goalless stalemate against Mumbai City -- add more teeth upfront in tandem with his strike partner (either Robin Singh or Julio Cesar) to get the goals that they desperately need.
If this Achilles heel is corrected and the two front hooves sorted out, then the Gaurs can surely give their best shot to qualify for the playoff, irrespective of the other results. For the ageing foreign stars who are playing the ISL for more than a season and their Brazilian coach Zico, this could be the swansong season. They still have three games in hand to add to the FC Goa folklore.
