ERROL D’CRUZ
errol@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: FC Goa, you could say, left the party early. The Durand Cup defending champions exited the blue riband tournament – Asia’s oldest – when they failed to make the knockout stages after winning one match but losing two and drawing one.
This, however, was the development team sent to the 131st edition recently to gain vital exposure before the season starts in earnest. Guided by four first-team players, the young Gaurs, aspiring to emulate the quartet one day, traveled to Kolkata under the tutelage of Deggie Cardozo who reflected on the campaign and shared thoughts in an interview.
Your first thoughts on the Durand Cup campaign?
To be honest, I wanted to win all matches in the group stage and qualify for the knockouts, and I felt it was possible because we are a good team. The Durand Cup is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world and we were proud to be given a chance to represent FC Goa there. With the help of Derrick Pereira, the Club’s Technical Director and the management, we were able to train and play well.
Have you identified grey areas, if any?
Considering that the campaign was played out in a short span of time, we did well. Before leaving, we played two friendlies and understood our strengths and weaknesses. Looking back tactically, we want to be more comfortable with the ball and make the right decisions under pressure. We want to play to our style and stick to our philosophy — this is our primary aim. But we definitely need to work on our attacking.
FC Goa lost two matches — to Mohd Sporting and Jamshedpur FC – and won one, against Air Force. What could have been done better?
Against Mohammedan SC, we were a bit nervous. The match at the Salt Lake Stadium in front of over 12,000 fans may have been slightly overwhelming.
It was the last 10 minutes of the game that turned things around. After scoring early goal and fighting hard for nearly 80 minutes, a few of our players were down with cramps and fitness issues. This was when we conceded goals.
Versus Jamshedpur FC, we had opportunities. With them playing a high backline, the key was to get the ball behind their defence and to break the lines in the middle and the attacking third.
You forced a remarkable draw after trailing 0-2 against BFC…
Even before playing Bengaluru FC we had done quite well. We are a tactically sound team, but we needed to improve in the attacking phase. By maintaining our defensive shape, we put pressure on them. The goals we conceded came through a free-kick and a cross, so that explains how well we defended. In the second half, we forced a few errors which helped us score.
How did the four first-team players gel with the reserves, and vice versa, in the campaign?
The first-team players — Muhammed Nemil, Ayush Chhetri, Phrangki Buam and Hrithik Tiwari — were important. Hrithik was with us previously, while Nemil, Ayush and Phrangki joined us this time. Their role was big. It was important to give them game time as once they are in the first team, it will give them more confidence. They contributed not just on the pitch but off it as well.
Can you sum up the performance of each department?
We build our play from behind, starting with the goalkeeper. We want our players in the defending third to make the right decisions under pressure.
We did well here. Our defenders did well, we had technically sound players in the midfield and they contributed in attack and defence. Our strikers, however, need to be more clinical in the attacking third.
How do players keep their spirits up in their aspirations to make the first team… and how do you motivate them?
Here at FC Goa, we have a very good structure in place and we have a road map for players and also for the young coaches to develop and move to the next level. Players are aware that these are stepping stones to their potential entries to the FC Goa first team, the Indian national team, and so on. For now, the first team coach Carlos Pena has already called some of our boys to train with them and that’s a great achievement.
