Mumbai City FC are flying high after recording back-to-back wins against ATK Mohun Bagan FC and Bengaluru FC. The Islanders have a lot to be happy about their team’s performance over the last 2 games and will be in good spirits. MCFC next face Jamshedpur FC, who also have had a strong start to the season and defeated ATK Mohun Bagan FC in their previous game.
Coach Des Buckingham and midfielder Raynier Fernandes addressed the media and discussed their start to the season and tomorrow’s opponents.
Mumbai City FC kicked off their campaign with a comprehensive 3-0 victory FC Goa. However, they lost their second game to HFC before going on to win against ATKMB and BFC. On his assessment of the 4 matches, Des said, “It’s been a good start but that’s all it was. It does not matter where you are in the league right now, it matters where you finish. We got off to a good start against FC Goa and from then on it has been about getting better game after game and we have started showing signs of that. We need to keep doing that throughout the season”.
Midfielder Raynier Fernandes was a second-half substitute against BFC and made an impact coming on from the bench. Raynier was happy to have contributed to MCFC’s win and to have some useful minutes under his belt. He said, “I am glad to have played the second half against BFC when the score was 1-1. Whatever I did in the training session, I was trying to replicate that and do my best for the team. It was a team effort against BFC in the second half”.
MCFC, so far in their matches, have scored a total of 12 goals and conceded 5 goals. Des Buckingham’s side have managed to keep a clean sheet only once this season and have conceded in their 3 previous games. Des said, “We would love to win every game with a clean sheet. We want to play expansive football where players can venture forward. We want to play exciting football and that’s not going to change. We will give away chances and we will try to keep it to a minimum but otherwise, our style is always to play attacking football”.
Raynier was one of the players who won the shield and the ISL trophy for MCFC, last season. On preparation and goals for the new season, Raynier said, “Last season is in the past and we cannot live with it. We must move on from that. This season is a new journey and a new challenge for us. We have to defend our title which means we must work even harder and win as many games as possible”.
Jamshedpur FC are one of the two teams who are still unbeaten in the competition. Owen Coyle’s men will be high on confidence after their win against season favorites ATK Mohun Bagan FC. On tomorrow’s opponents, Des said, “One of their strengths is that they have a highly experienced manager in Owen Coyle. If I can have half the coaching career he had, I would be extremely proud and to share the touchline with him would be an absolute pleasure. JFC’s work rate is unbelievable, and we need to at least match or better it to stand a chance tomorrow. They also have quality across the pitch and we have prepared for that. But after that, we focus on ourselves and make sure we adapt and evolve ourselves to cause them problems. It will be a tough game but one which we are prepared for”.
The battle between 2 in-form teams and two Englishmen, who highly respect each other, is expected to be a cracking encounter. JFC will be looking to keep their unbeaten run intact whereas MCFC will look to keep the momentum with a win. Des Buckingham vs Owen Coyle is brewing to be a mouth-watering prospect and one that cannot be missed.
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