MARGAO
Hindustan FC needs to adopt a positive approach in the new season of Delhi Premier League, said the club's Goan head coach Ajay Acharya.
A history in the making - for the first time, the league will be played in a double round robin format with all 11 teams playing 20 matches each. A total of 110 matches will be played over the duration of more than two months. All the matches in the league are set to be held at two venues - Ambedkar Stadium and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
The clubs that are part of the league are Delhi FC, Hindustan FC, Royal Rangers FC, Friends United FC, Garhwal FC, Tarun Sangha FC, Rangers SC, Sudeva Delhi FC, Uttarakhand FC, Indian Air Force & Vatika FC.
Speaking to The Goan from Delhi, Acharya said the objective of his team would be to perform “much better” than the previous season.
“We played good football and will definitely try to be much better this time around as the season is filled with full of possibilities. The target will be of course to win every game like the opponents too wish,” he said with a big smile.
The 50-year-old Goan coach who has an AFC A licence provisional-l, signed a one-year deal with the club. Acharya said that talking about tactics could go on forever but he had a clear idea about how he wants Hindustan FC to play.
“I believe in one thing, it is attacking football, with intensity, organised and courageous,” he said. “Football lends itself towards rhythm, intensity. But I am also talking about organised play, passing, running without the ball. I want the people who come to the stadium not to leave disappointed.”
Acharya, who spent his playing career at Dempo Sports Club, Air India and Anderson Marine, said he wanted his team to be instantly recognisable in the style they played. “I want us to have an individual style of play, that is to say a nice-looking team, who know what to do with and without the ball,” he said. “The result will be a consequence of that.”
Acharya, who has also coached Sesa Football Club and Panjim Footballers, said it is a challenging assignment for him. "I will try to make a difference to the side. We have promising youngsters from Manipur, Kerala, Mizoram, Sikkim and Maharastra. We have also roped in two Goans, Russel Vaz from Calangute Association and Mark Gomes from Navelim who was with Sesa FA before. It will be very demanding and tough and I am sure the boys will rise to the challenges."
