ISL 2019-20 | Still have full confidence in my players, they know what to do, claims Jorge Costa
ISL
Mumbai City FC head coach Jorge Costa has claimed that he is in full confidence with his players after the poor start of the season as the Islanders travels to Guwahati to face an unbeaten NorthEast United at the Indira Gandhi Stadium. Mumbai custodian Amrinder was also confident about the game.
After securing four points in the first two games, Mumbai City lost two back to back games in 4-2 scoreline against FC Goa and Odisha FC as Mumbai City FC looks to bounce back when they meet NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday. The Islanders have only four points from as many games and are eighth at the table. Jorge Costa and Co will have a hard time getting the full points against unbeaten Highlanders.
Mumbai’s head coach Jorge Costa was confident of his players and compared their start this season to that of last year which they began poorly. “Our start is exactly like last year. Last year after four games we had four points and this year after four games, we have four points. It’s not what we wanted, we started the league well but then had some physical problems and were not at our best. But anyway, I still have full confidence in my players. They know what they have to do, and I know what I have to do. We have a difficult game against NorthEast United and it’s a game that we want three points from,” Costa told reporters at the pre-match press conference, ISL website reported.
Guwahati has cooler weather comparing Mumbai's hot and humid weather. However, Costa takes positives from the conditions. “If there’s a difference in the temperature here, then I feel it will be good for us and better for my players to play. The conditions in Mumbai are that it’s very hot and there’s a lot of humidity. We must be prepared to play in all conditions, but I prefer to play in this kind of weather as opposed to when it’s too hot and humid,” Costa said.
NorthEast are unbeaten this season with eight points in four games, Moreover, Costa admitted the difficulty in the game, but was confident with his players to secure the full three points “We are not expecting an easy game. We know how NorthEast play and we know that we will have a tough game against them but as I told you I believe in my players and I believe in my work. I believe after the game against NorthEast, we can leave with three points,” the 48-year-old coach added.
Mumbai City have long list injuries including their star foreign players. And the coach spoke about the same. “There are some problems with a few players and we still have one day to assess the situation. We have 24 hours left before the game against NorthEast and I may decide on the line-up in the next three hours or so,” the Portuguese coach added.
Costa also shared his thoughts on the growing standards of the ISL. “I think all of us are learning every day. For sure, this year the quality is better than last season. We know that we still have a lot of work to do and I am here with my experience to try and bring something to this league. This is a league that grows every year, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Costa opined.
Mumbai custodian Amrinder Singh was with Costa for the presser and the Indian goalkeeper who conceded eight goals in his last two games expressed his confidence in his team for a better show. “I feel that the mood in the dressing room has always been good because our coach knows how to manage the team and he knows what to do as well as what not to do. Yes, we haven’t started the season well, but we have a very good team. We also picked up a few injuries after the first two games, which is why the international break has been good for us. It gives us time to recover from injuries, prepare and learn from the mistakes that we made in the previous game. I feel that we are now fully ready to start the season,” Amrinder said.
