‘Aiming to get closer to top’

Despite bad form at home, FC Pune City's Vishal Kaith said they are aiming to get closer to the top of the table as they are just four points off the top (Chennaiyin top with 16 points) as they take on ninth-placed NorthEast United at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune on Saturday.

"This match is very important for us, recent losses of Goa and Bengaluru has opened up opportunities for us to get closer to the top of the table," said the shot-stopper. "We have prepared well for the game, coming back home after defeating FC Goa has given the winning momentum back to the team and brought the confidence back in the dressing room. We are charged up to take on NorthEast and get all the three points."

Oozing with confidence after a strong goalkeeping performance against Goa in a 2-0 win (via goal from Jonatan Lucca and Emiliano Alfaro). Kaith still wants to keep his feet grounded as he feels the struggling Highlanders can't be taken lightly, who are coming off a defeat against Mumbai City FC at home.

"I feel NorthEast is a good team, they have a strong fanbase but they haven't been consistent in the league so far and we hope to capitalise on that. But that doesn't mean we are taking them lightly," said the 21-year-old goalkeeper.

Pune coach Ranko Popovic was slammed with a four-match ban and Rs 5 lakh fine for his remark on the referees after the Goa match.

Kaith thinks coach’s absence will  "affect them a bit".

"It is first time that coach won't be there with us on the bench, it will affect us a bit. But we have been together for a while now, so we understand what coach expects from all of us. It's all up to the individual players how they react to it," said the India under-23 player.

Being at the Pune-based club for the second consecutive year, Kaith had the experience to work with both Jose Antonio Habas and Popovic. Kaith feels Popovic's aggressive mentality has made them an attacking side.

"They are very much similar in characteristic as they both (coaches) like to win matches and ask players to give their best. The major difference could be Habas gave a lot of importance to defence first and then attack, while Popovic likes to attack first and put pressure on the opponent's defence and which also I think is our plus point," he said.

Before his permanent move to ISL, Kaith played for Shillong Lajong for past three seasons and thinks a moving permanently to the cash-rich league is fruitful for his career's growth. "It did feel bad to leave Shillong Lajong as I was there for a long but the move was good for my career as I feel this league is at a higher level compared to I-league. We get a lot of big players here and the infrastructure provided to us is also better. We keepers get to train with foreign coaches who came with the experience of coaching in bigger leagues," he concluded.

Saturday’s rival NorthEast will look to turn the tide after series of disappointing performances. Coach  Joao de Deus have argued that despite the unfavourable results, they are an organised side and knows how to defend. Attack is where they need improvement.