Ahead of the clash against Hyderabad FC, two of the Gaur’s James Donachie and Glan Martins addressed the media answering the questions.
The match against Hyderabad FC will be the decider for FC Goa to make their way to the playoffs.
“Hyderabad are very similar to us in playing. The games of Mumbai and Hyderabad were always good. Aridane Santana is out due to suspension, but they have a midfielder (Roland Alberg) who joined in January and he’s dangerous. So, we will try to keep him quite,” said Donachie.
FC Goa has conceded most of the goals from set-pieces which has resulted in headache for Ferrando’s side. Donachie said,
“I don’t think we have problems with defending set-pieces. I think we have trouble trying to keep our backline on the field because we have had a lot of injuries. Coach has done his best to try and keep a backline that hasn’t changed much, but the truth is it has been nearly impossible. I, Ivan, Adil and Seriton have had injuries. If you see, other teams too had the same issues but in different positions that we had in our backline.“
Not only FC Goa but every team in Indian Super League faced a problem which was of tight match schedules. Donachie shared his thoughts on this issue.
“I noticed a thing, that the teams who had back-to-back games have struggled in their second game. Because the schedule is not the same, there is a team that has rested for seven days before a game and there is another team that has two days before the game. Then the team who has rested for two days will surely struggle. That is the only inconsistency I have seen in the scheduling,” the 27-year-old Australian told IFTWC.
Midfielder Glan Martins who joined the team in January transfer window shared his thoughts on getting fit into Juan Ferrando’s squad and style.
“It’s good for me to be here. Everyone here is helping me very much including the coach and the players. It didn’t take me much time to gel well here. Even the playing style there (ATK Mohun Bagan) was completely different from here’s.
“It was always my dream to play for this team since long ago when I was in Sporting Goa. When I got to know that they are interested in me, I didn’t hesitate to join and said yes,” he added.
Glan Martins will have a crucial role in the midfield of Gaurs facing Hyderabad FC. The 26-year-old is very confident about the team and the coach’s plan.
“We will stick to our plan of the coach. We won’t take any pressure on us because the coach has a plan for us. We will stick to it and follow it.“
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