In Hyderabad FC‘s recent 0-1 loss to Mumbai City on Saturday, November 30, one player stood out for them: Ayush Adhikari. The central midfielder kept the team’s engine running at all times and ensured that every pass was pinpoint and accurate to his teammates. Adhikari sat deep in front of his defenders and protected them as well. His movements while creating a turnover in possession were commendable too.
The 24-year-old had an accurate passing percentage of 73, which is impressive given the kind of pressure he often found himself in this match while tackling against the likes of Thaer Krouma and Jayesh Rane. Adhikari’s calm demeanour, both on and off the ball, along with the silken touch he exhibits, makes him a favourite of crowds wherever he goes. He is among those rare stylish footballers who make it seem as if the ball is meant for them to be taken home every game.
The former Kerala Blasters man, who arrived at Hyderabad FC earlier this year as a free agent, recently sat down with IFTWC for an exclusive chat, and laid bare what his thoughts about the game against Mumbai City were, and what the Nawabs are looking forward to. They are now gearing up to take on Goa, managed by their former head coach Manolo Marquez, at home on Wednesday, December 4.
“I think we struggled a bit in the first half against Mumbai City but in the second, we came well into the encounter. However, we are disappointed by the fact that we could not prevent the goal or even score one ourselves. We will take this result on the chin and move forward – the game against Goa is going to be an exciting encounter. We know how challenging they can be, and we are prepared to take them on,” said Adhikari.
“I am happy that I can help the team in any way, and I wish to continue doing so. The result against Mumbai City was not easy to take, but we will make sure that we keep working hard in training and get better. We owe it to ourselves, to our support staff and to our fans,” he added.
Ayush Adhikari – “The defeat against Odisha was quite heavy, and all of us took that very seriously“
One of the biggest complaints that sections of the press, as well as Hyderabad’s most devoted supporters made after their 0-1 loss to Mumbai City was their lack of goal-scoring potential. This stung especially hard, given that they had just previously been carted for six goals by Odisha FC, that too at home. However, Adhikari said that the team is working hard on that aspect in training.
While they took just three shots against Mumbai City, it is worth mentioning that Hyderabad have scored seven goals already this season, of which four came in an enthralling encounter against Mohammedan SC away from home. As head coach Thangboi Singto has also mentioned repeatedly, it is just a matter of time before everything comes together for Hyderabad.
“I am happy with the way we have been training, and as I said, it is always nice to be back in the starting lineup and contribute to your team. We will learn from the mistakes we made in the game against Mumbai City and take all the positives we showed there. We need to implement it now in the game against Goa,” said Adhikari.
“We are creating a lot of chances – it is not as if we are not – but all we are lacking is getting the final ball. That final pass may have been lacking, and we are working hard in training to make it all come together. We are all on the same wavelength, so it is just a matter of time before we start scoring goals. Hence, we were disappointed that we could not do so against Mumbai City as well. The defeat against Odisha was quite heavy, and all of us took that very seriously,” he concluded.
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