Northeast United FC gaffer Gerard Nus addressed the press today ahead of their third league match. The Highlanders will be locking horns against last years table toppers FC Goa.The gaffer shared how the team is recovering after the 2-2 draw against Kerala Blasters, how they are preparing for tomorrow’s game and much more!
On being asked about the previous game against Blasters
Nus said “Well we are working very hard to make sure that
we are competitive in every single game and I believe we have achieved that in the first two games and I’m not surprised in the way we played becuse that is the way we train and we believe that the way we are working every day, the players are playing and its the result is because of the passion and hardwork that they put into every training session.”
A win against Mumbai in the first match and a brilliant comeback after being 2-0 down in the first half against Blasters, the team has had some breathtaking games. On being asked about the mood of the team he said “I think the mood is really high and the players are really exited about the performances that we did in the first two games. Definitely there are a lot of things which we have to keep improving as induviduals and as a team.We take and keep the positives of what we achieved so far,
but the most important thing now is to think about tommorows game, which is going to be a massive challenge for us and we need to understand that Goa won the regular season last year and we shouldn’t forget that even a second. We have to think like its going to be a massive game because it is.”
The coach also shared his philosophy on possessions and results.
“It is not that the team which has more possesion is the team that controls the game. For me, the team that controls the game is the one that have more chances to win it, which means to create more chances than the opponent and to stop the oponent to create chances against you. I think that is the way we are supposed to measure the success of any football team. It’s not even the results , the results sometimes is not fair. There are many factors which make a team win, draw or lose.But overall, if a team is really strong in the way they defend and don’t allow the opponent team to create chances, and in the same way are strong to create chances,then definitly the team can be more successful.”
Goa is yet to win their first 3 points this season, speaking on that he said
“I think they have the pressure to win. They have a huge squad in terms of quality and talent. They play good football and they have a lot of possession.Definitely they need to get a lot from the game. The league is played in their home, in Goa and all the teams are here,so definiltey will expect them to be really brave in going for the game.
Also Read – Northeast United FC is a team that fights till the end of the match, says Juan Ferrando
Speaking about the training facilities and coping up with the new normal,
“All the conditions are different for all teams. Some teams have better training grounds, some have shorter distance in terms of from the hotel to training ground.
Everyone is facing different situations and curcumstances. We are really happy that the ground is not far away from the hotel that we are staying, which is a positive thing. The size of the ground is not that for an eleven-a-side.But we don’t think about it,we are not concerned about it. We try to get the matches and best training sessions.We don’t see there are negatives or positives. We are taking it forward and we are trying to become better every single day of training and on every match day.
Speaking about the schedule of the matches, he said
“It is a challenge for all the teams. We don’t have the ideal recovery time for the players to be 100% fit for every game. You have to manage it properly and its important everybody is ready for the challenge, everybody has to be on the field, they have to know about the tactics and have good fitness. Sometimes they might need to play 90 minutes they might need to play 5 minutes,but they have to perform no mater what. ” He also added that injuries would be a huge concern for all the teams and rotating players would be a key factor to avoid breakdowns.
Gaffer also shared his opinion on the young colt, Apuia
“He is a good player, talented, and I’m so exited to have a player like him. He is determined to become better every single training and games.That is why he is one of our captains, in such a young age and I just have positive words. He has an amazing character and is a hardworker.We expect from him and he is proving himself.
Khassa Camara and Dylan Fox has been intergral in the last two matches for the Highlanders. Speaking on that,
“Khassa aand Dylan has been amazing and they are some of the players who got more minutes and I’m so happy about their performance and their leadership both on the pitch and in the training sessions. So pleased to have them here.”
Shedding some light into the injuries and COVID situations, he said
Pretty much everybody is okay, so that also makes my job little bit harder because have to leave some players out of the roster. But it is good to have a lot of players ready.
“We have players who are back to training and some are still in isolation. We are following all the protocols and the medical department is in close communication with the league doctors and we expect everyone to be back to the team very soon.”
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