ISL 2019 | Bengaluru and Goa don’t have same style of football, says Sergio Lobera
ISL
Despite being clubbed as the most offensive sides in the ISL, FC Goa manager Sergio Lobera has claimed that his playing style is very different from that of Bengaluru. Mandar Rao Desai reminisced their last ISL final in 2015, stating that his club shouldn’t repeat the same mistakes again.
Since Lobera’s introduction to ISL last season, Goa and Bengaluru have been the most prolific sides in the league, and the fact that BFC manager Carles Cuadrat has also hailed from the same school in Barcelona has led many to familiarize both the coach’s style of play. However, Lobera has refuted the popular opinion stating that his focus on possession is what separates him from his compatriot.
"I don’t think Bengaluru and Goa have the same style of football. Carles (Cuadrat) and I come from the same school of football in Barcelona. But when I came here, we wanted to implement attacking football as well as having possession of the ball and that is what I have been focusing during my time in Goa," said Lobera, reported ISL’s official website.
Bengaluru
When asked Lobera about the psychological state of his players before the final, he stated, “Whatever has happened in the past, stays in the past. A final will be a completely different game. Tomorrow the team that will win the trophy will be the team that is the best on the pitch. Bengaluru won both games in the league stages. But we come here with the intention of winning the final. We learnt from our mistakes."
"I think tomorrow, the tactics will be important. But the motivation and psychological factors will also come into place. It will be a matter of how the players handle their feelings for the final. It will be a special final for me because it will be against a friend and a coach who has done a great job. I am looking forward to playing against Bengaluru, even though they have beaten us previously because I am an ambitious coach," Lobera added.
The last time Goa had reached the final was back in 2015 when they had faced Chennaiyin FC, and it was a frustrating evening for the Gaurs. After cancelling Bruno Pelissari’s opener through Thingkosiem Haokip and then leading by Jofre Mateu’s goal at the 87th minute, CFC had pulled off the impossible. They had got the equalizer through Laxmikant Kattimani’s own goal in the 90th minute before
Mandar Rao Desai, who has captained the Goa side this season and was one of the players that evening, said, "I still remember that day. We were leading till the 80th minute and then we went down 3-2 to Chennaiyin FC. We just have to be focused throughout the game and I think we can do it. This team tries to keep a lot of ball possession and attacks at the right moment. The previous team was a little more direct."
