BASIL SYLVESTER PINTO
PANAJI
From a side that struggled to find the goals and wins to resurrect their flagging campaign in the make-or-break phase of the league, FC Goa are an unpredictable yet entertaining side that has the wherewithal to lay claim on the coveted ISL trophy. The Gaurs head into the semi-finals against Chennaiyin FC on the back of three big wins. In an exclusive with The Goan, FC Goa coach Sergio Lobera sounded confident about his team’s chances in the knock-outs. Excerpts:
TG: What is the mood of the camp heading towards the play-offs?
Sergio Lobera: There is a lot of excitement within the camp obviously but we have to keep our feet on the ground because now comes the best part of the season. And the best part to enjoy it is to win. We have to manage the 180 minutes that we have against Chennai very well. The moments to celebrate are already finished. Now there is only concentration on the semi-finals which is important to everyone.
TG: Last three matches, FC Goa have won handsomely scoring 12 goals and conceding just one. Is the team peaking at the right time?
SL: I think we are a team that got to the semi-finals after going from sort of bottom level to the top. This is positive because this generates motivation, gives the team confidence as well. But you know everything that we have done so far does not necessarily make the difference. What is the most important is what we are capable of doing now on. I think the team did well to reach the semi-finals winning last three games and scoring 12 goals. But more so you also have to think of the fact that the team had a great season where the team has scored 42 goals.
TG: You have just stated that the team went through a low phase before a three wins on a roll. What went wrong at the time the team eked out just two points from five straight games?
SL: In a season, every team has their bad moments and when this happens you either not perform and have shoulders down or these are the moments that allows you to become stronger. I think these bad moments made us stringer and that is why we have reached the final stage of the season the way we have.
TG: Outscoring the opposition has been your philosophy. Going forward, against more consistent teams in the campaign, don’t you feel a conservative approach could be a better alternative?
SL: What we have to do is try to do our best and we need to do what we have to. When someone tries to do something they cannot or distances themselves from the idea, the most normal thing is that they become less powerful. We need to have our strengths with us and we have already demonstrated how we will play.
TG: What positive/s do you take from the last league game in Jamshedpur going into the play-offs?
SL: The answer was to the previous question. But to elaborate, in the last match against Jamshedpur we could have played a lot more defensively and not be so offensive because a draw was sufficient for us. But the team played the way they always do and how they always play. We did not play to draw, we went to play for a win and we scored three goals against the best defensive team in the league.
TG: But with a numerical advantage after the seventh minute in the Jamshedpur game, don’t you think the team could have fared better?
SL: I think the team did very well. To know how to play against 10 players, with a team lined up in their half is different. If the team has 10 players and is offensive, then obviously you will find more spaces. More than anything else, it is the merit of ours that we scored three goals rather merit of theirs in conceding three goals.
TG: With the coming of Boumous in the starting XI, the Gaurs have looked more effective upfront. Is he the Plan B going forward?
SL: I think the best help for Lanza and Coro is the team. I do not think that if the team is doing well then the players can perform individually. The merit belongs to all the players. But it is always some players that take the headlines in the newspapers as they are scoring the goals.
TG: With shot-stopper, Naveen Kumar coming into the side in the last few matches, the side looks more assured in goal. But with his one-match suspension, how do you read into the situation?
SL: In the last few games, we had a lot of people who have not been playing because of suspension and injuries. This included players who had played all of the season before. We have showed that sometimes we lack the players we are still strong as a team. No one player is indispensable. Our strength is within the team.
TG: what is the best memory you can share from the campaign thus far?
SL: It will probably be the point when we reached the semi-finals. But I hope that the best moment I want to remember is yet to come.
TG: What is your message to the FC Goa fans?
SL: We only have words of thankfulness to them - all the guys who come to the stadium to cheer us, the people who made huge efforts to travel long distance and who come to help us (in support). The only way we can thank them is the way we know best is to play football on the field. Hopefully, in a few days time, we can bring the Cup that everyone (in Goa) deserves.
