Ahead of the clash against Chennaiyin FC, FC Goa’s head-coach Juan Ferrando and Australian center-back James Donachie addressed the press in a pre-match press conference.
FC Goa were very unfortunate as they lost 2 matches due to late penalty conceded, on that note, Ferrando said,
“Of course we are not happy about that. But, it’s very important thinking about what happened before the penalties. The transitions in defence, the spaces when we were about to lose the ball, there are a lot of points, the penalty is the last action. But sometimes, it is necessary to think about what actions took place before the penalty. Why? For example, against Mumbai City FC, we were in a position of attack and then we lost the ball in one area and then in transition we were not good in positions.”
Speaking of the tight schedule of ISL and very less time for recovery of players, head-coach said,
“This is the football now in circumstances of pandemic. We have only 48 hours to prepare for the next match. After the loss, I told them that we need to learn from the mistakes and put all the energy and focus into the next game. There is no point in thinking about the past because it is not possible to change it. We are always trying to find the best eleven players and across each department.”
“Of course, as a coach, I want more time to prepare the team also to prepare one plan and then a Plan B. The players are not machines. We need time for rest and recovery and then training again. I accept, it is not possible to change the schedule now. But, in my point of view, I am disappointed in less time given for preparing for the next game. It is not an excuse, it is just the truth.” he added
The head-coach also spoke about improvements needed in team and said,
“This is a new team for me. New players, young players, we need to improve a lot of details. But, we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare during the pre-season and also now between games. I am so happy because the players are working very hard. Everybody wants to help in their way and players are very focused on each game, that I can see clearly.”
The Australian defender James Donachie who is currently on loan from Newcastle Jets shared his thoughts about the standard of ISL league and learning under new head-coach as well as getting familiar to Indian atmosphere and said,
“In my majority of career I played in A-League. Being a centre-back, my role in the team hasn’t changed much even I switched some team and played under numerous coaches. I am enjoying the football wherever I had been. Every country you go to play football, it is going to be different. You have to adjust. It is, very hot climate here. There are so many games, every two days here. You have to prepare your body and sometimes everyone can’t play, because there are that many games in a short amount of time. So, you have to deal with that as well. Every country is different and you have to adapt according to how the game is played. But, as a player, we have to adapt to every situation and try our best.”
Donachie has been spectacular at the backline of FC Goa partnering with Ivan Gonzalez. Quoting on performance of team in previous games he said,
“My opinion is that we are better. The frustrating thing for me is that teams are not scoring against us in open play, but it’s mostly from penalties. We had some calls go against us and for us. We play the most attractive football, which fans love to see. The game against Mumbai City FC and ATK Mohun Bagan was quite frustrating. It was last minute and there were penalties. But as a team, we tried to give our best.”
FC Goa bagged silverware last season, as they were the first team from India to qualify for group stage of AFC Champions League for 2021. Speaking of quality of team and performance expecting at AFC Champions League, the 27-year-old defender said,
“We have a season until March and we are going to do our best in the league. We need to get every player involved in this process and the whole squad up to a standard where we can compete as a team. It is a lot of travel and a lot of games over a short amount of time. So, the higher the level we can get from every player, it’s better for the AFC Champions League in 2021. I have seen teams like Buriram in Thailand do very well in this competition. So, for me, there is no reason that we can’t do well.”
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