Mohammedan SC and Mumbai City FC will face each other on 14 September, as they both qualified to the semi-finals of the 131st Indian Oil Durand cup. Head Coach of Mohammedan SC, Andrey Chernyshov and defender Shaher Shaheen attended a press conference ahead of this crucial match.
In the press conference Andrey Chernyshov, reveals the pre-match tensions present before a match as important as this. However supporters are not to be disheartened for the veteran coach takes the upcoming match in his stride and is fully prepared to take their opponents on in what is sure to be an exhilarating match.
The following is the excerpt of the virtual press conference.
How is the pressure in the dressing room ahead of such an important match?
“The pressure is the same as in every other game. When we play we focus on what’s before us and how we aim to overcome that be it Mumbai City Rajasthan or the Indian Army. If we keep concentrating and stick to our base there should be no problem for us.”
Is the fact that you made it to the finals last time motivation enough for the team to push through till the end?
“Perhaps not that reason but motivation is there in all our players and and every moment regardless of whether we play against Rajasthan, Army or one team from ISL. If you start to play in a tournament you must motivate and prepare yourself to win. In football its not important if one team is stronger than the other because they have more concentration and they want to win more this game“
“In football you cannot rely on an individual’s quality, you must have strong team character. If this is present than one can attain results they wish for.”
Are there any injury or suspension concerns for the team?
“Yes we do have players with suspensions and injury concerns like before. But as is the case before every tournament and game there are players who are practicing very well and training. There have been many situations in my career where a player has been injured or suspended but another player who had been showing practice but not been on the playing squad had to be brought in and they played exceptionally well.”
“So there will be situations with injuries and suspensions but there are players who are training and kept ready just for situations such as these”
Your next opponent, Mumbai City FC is a team that has experience at the international level. Does this change your approach in any way?
“As I said before it is a really good team which plays good football. They have many good players, experienced players who have played many games in the ISL, and at the international level like the AFC Cup. Theirs is a well organized squad, we have respect for them but we also know how we want to play tomorrow.”
“We have our own style and I know that many coaches and teams have started to think how they can play against Mohammedan as it is not easy to play against us. Tomorrow we want to show our supporters a good match and bring about a good result for us.”
Shaheen, what were your takeaways from your last match?
“In every match there are some learning moments for us. Some moments show us the points where we are good at and some our mistakes and weakness. We try to work on your mistakes and improve further on our strengths. We intend to carry this knowledge into our next match.”
What kind of game are you expecting tomorrow?
“We expect a tough game as both team have come a great distance to reach the semi-finals. Both teams will want to win and advance to the finals as there’s only one more game after this. We want to play well, they will want to play well. Naturally both want to win. I will say it will be a very good match for the supporters who will come to witness us play.”
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