KOLKATA: Alessandro Del Piero believes that for Indian football to progress onto the next level, they need to adopt a long term strategy and that the Indian Super League (ISL) has been a step in the right direction.
“We have to proceed step by step. The first step and what the ISL did is incredible. Look at the crowd in the ground and the people watching on television. You can watch the ISL from Italy, Europe, Australia and this is something every one of us is proud of. But this is the first step and we have to take more steps forward. But with this incredible step, everything can happen in a short time,” said the 40-year old when asked his opinion on Indian football.
The former Juventus striker stated that the first leg of the semi-final between Atletico de Kolkata and FC Goa was a tactical battle between Antonio Habas and Zico as the game ended in a 0-0 draw.
“It was a tough game. I think we saw exactly what the coaches prepared their team for. Tactically, it was a very good game. Both the teams tried not to concede goals. It was a different game compared to the one from yesterday (where Kerala Blasters beat Chennaiyin FC 3-0). But its okay and we have another 90 minutes left to see what happens,” he explained.
The marquee signing of Delhi Dynamos mentioned that while Goa did create the better goal scoring opportunities, the game still ended goal-less which is what matters at the end of the day.
“Definitely Goa created more chances than Kolkata. They had shots on goal. They had two brilliant situations to score. But one thing is what you deserve and the other thing is what the fact is. The fact says it’s 0-0,” he said.
