FC Goa coach Zico: I sincerely hope we win tomorrow against Delhi Dynamos

FC Goa coach Zico believes the ISL has been a big success among the fans

FC Goa, who are currently last in the table, visit the national capital tomorrow to face off against Delhi Dynamos in what is a very important clash for both teams. The team from Goa picked up their only victory in the ISL over the Dynamos.

Ahead of their first game of the second phase of the Indian Super League, FC Goa Chief Coach Zico spoke to the media about the first seven matches of the tournament and what he aims to achieve going forward in the league.

Zico: Opening remarks - Good evening everyone. Tomorrow’s match is a very important match for us and I sincerely hope that we win tomorrow.

You won against Delhi the last time the two of you met. Do you think there is an advantage and what do you think of Delhi as an opposition?

Zico - No, there is no advantage for us. It is a very level game. I think Delhi is in the same situation as us. They also haven’t gotten good results, so it is the same and I hope to have a good game tomorrow.

What has gone wrong tactically for FC Goa?

Zico - There are a number of reasons. We have had many opportunities, but we have been unable to score goals. We made some mistakes during some crucial moments in some games and we faced losses. Even at the beginning of the league, some players were unable to play due to injuries and other reasons. At the start of the league, the players also needed to get to know each other and their styles of playing needed to sync.

However, in general, we have been playing a good game. We had had superiority in most of the matches. But we should just carry on and play our game and continue playing well.

Do you think you have been unlucky in this tournament considering that Pires was suspended and then Santos was injured?

Zico - From the start, I have never put excessive pressure on any player on what they need to do. We are a team and every player knows what they need to contribute to the team. We can’t depend too much on a player or some players. We have to be a team that is good all the time. When we are in a good situation, we see that all the players make a positive contribution. And by the way, in the match against Delhi which we won, neither Pires nor Santos played, so I don’t think we are unlucky in that sense.

Coach, you were closely involved in the heralding of J-league in Japan and we are trying to do a similar thing here in India with the ISL. How do you compare the two?

Zico - When J-league began in Japan, the confederation gave all the clubs to the J-League and the confederation just stayed with the national team. Also they chose the best players from Japan and the best foreign players. In India too, we need to choose the best players from all the teams and form the team.

Amiri, what are your thoughts on tomorrow’s match. Will it be a revenge match for Delhi?

Amiri - No, its not a revenge game, it’s a game of football. We will play and fight till the end and we are going to be playing our best.

The Delhi Dynamos will be playing without their coach tomorrow. Will that act as an advantage for your team?

Zico - No, because the coach doesn’t play. The coach of the Pune team was not in the match against Atletico de Kolkata, and they defeated them. So there is no advantage there.

Coach, you have said that not many Indian players are playing. Do you think this jeopardizes the league’s future?

Zico - I do hope the number of Indian players increases next year. But I also do think the ISL is a big success among all the football lovers with all the support it has received and I hope it will be better for the development of Indian football.

When J-League started, all the companies invested in building stadiums. But in the ISL, all the companies have worked more on selling their own brands. Do you think that is the kind of corporate backing that the ISL should have?

Zico - When the J-League started in Japan, there was no professional league prevalent there. Infact, there was no football there. Even the investments made by the companies there to build stadiums were not big stadiums. They were stadiums with capacity of 10000. In India, football is already present and even stadiums are already built. There is good infrastructure. ISL has made a good step in this direction. I don’t think this will spoil the future of ISL.