2021 AFC Champions League | FC Goa cannot relax just because it's the last game, opines Juan Ferrando
Juan Ferrando (left) during the pre-match press conference
|FC Goa Media
FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando asserted that they cannot relax ahead of their game against Al-Wahada simply because it is the last game in the ongoing AFC Champions League campaign. Having played five matches, the Gaurs have collected three points and are placed at the third position in the table.
FC Goa’s near-dream start to their maiden AFC Champions League campaign derailed with a couple of expected defeats against Persepolis FC. Even though they were knocked out of the tournament before kick-off against Al-Rayyan, they nearly pulled-off a win, only to be denied the full points by a late equalizer.
However, they still have one last chance to script a historic win in their penultimate Group E fixture against Al Wahada this Thursday evening. Their head coach Juan Ferrando is adamant that they cannot relax ahead of the upcoming game simply because it is the last game of the campaign.
"In football, we need to think about three points. We know that it's a great opportunity for Al Wahda to participate in the next round. (But) we can't think about relaxing because this is the last game. This is the (Asian) Champions League and we need to be strong to find the best 11 and the best tactical plan for tomorrow,” said Juan Ferrando, during the pre-match press conference.
With a crammed schedule in the group stages, the players are getting minimal recovery time between two successive match days. The Spanish coach feels that the most important decision now is to field the playing XI, with most of the members exhausted or not match-fit.
“In the end, the most important thing is to make the best decisions. We think about who can help on the pitch in one moment, but the problem is some players are not 100 per cent because they are exhausted," added the former Volos FC manager.
