MARGAO
Five time champions Dempo Sports Club are determined to match up to their showings in 2024 in the I-League 2 championship stated Head Coach Samir Naik.
After qualifying for the next division, Naik also said he is happy with the way the Golden Eagles are preparing for the league which begins on January 20.
“I am happy with the determination the players are showing during the training sessions. I am very happy with the way the preparations are going on at this moment,” said Samir while speaking to The Goan Everyday, on Monday.
“I have great confidence in everyone and we will work with all our strength and try to lay down a good preparation plan,” stressed Naik.
“Pressure is there in football and it is important for the players to enjoy the moments. If there is no enjoyment of the game, then why do we play in the first place,” he opined.
"Our objective of going there is to test ourselves against some quality opponents before the big test. It's time to test ourselves and these good competitive matches would be the right platform for the boys," Naik said.
"We will go step by step as this is a big challenge. We will first think about winning the first match. Our first goal is to make the Dempo fans happy, and without a doubt their support for the team will give us great motivation and additional strength,” said Naik also backing himself to produce positive results despite having a short turnaround for the big tournament. “This is a good opportunity for me after a long career with Dempo I believe in my mentality and style. I am not new to the Dempo team and I know all the players well,” he said.
Naik further stated, "My boss Srinivas Dempo takes keen interest in the team and encourage the players to play positive football and has been inspiration."
Dempo is pitted along side FC Bengaluru United, SC Bengaluru, Sporting Clube de Goa, Kenkre FC, United Sports Club Kolkata, Sudeva Delhi FC and Maharashtra Oranje FC.
