The players are heroes of Goa

Derrick Pereira

These players wearing the colours of FC Goa are heroes of Goa. There are no two ways about it. This bunch has arguably been the most professional set of players that I have had the honour of coaching.
Every day in training – they gave their all and every night on the pitch, they played their hearts out. They are truly the pride of Goa.
Competing against the very best has an adrenaline rush of its own. You cherish those moments, those games where you were able to go up against the very best. Those are the greatest stories you will be able to live to tell.
Right from the first day, I joined the club, that was the vision of the club – compete against the elite. First in India and then on to the continental stage.
When it was announced at the start of the season that the league-toppers would get a direct entry into the AFC Champions League, it added even more incentive to our season. It was no longer about just reaching the playoffs; it wasabout finishing right at the top.
A bunch of heroes
As I said earlier, this bunch has been fantastic since the very first day. When I took over, it was not under the best conditions. There was a sudden disruption to their day-to-day activities. There were new faces coming in and a sudden change always takes some time to get used to – whether it be in your professional life or personal.
However, the players were tremendously welcoming to us and our ideas. It was a big challenge – to guide the players in the final stage of the seasons and help improve on something that already bore success, but it was one I relished.
I would also want to thank the fans. There was discontent amongst some quarters when a change was made midway. That, however, just shows how much they care about the club. Even in the second leg of the semi-final, their energy oozed through on to the field and helped us in mounting a real challenge.
There will always be different players in different situations in terms of how they perceive change. There will be differences in reactions based on how their relationship with a coach is or how they stand in terms of their playing time amongst other factors.
However, putting aside everything, the attitude of the players from the very first minute I stepped into to take charge – was that of top professionals. This made my job easier.
Having been a player myself I could relate to their situation. And having played at the top level, it helped me understand that once on the pitch, the mind of a player is focussed on the game and nothing else.
The results were there to see as well.
Coming in, there wasn’t enough time to radically change things. And we had to keep in mind the comfort level of the players with the system – they had been playing in a certain kind of way for nearly three years.
However, there were a few areas that we looked to plug in the holes. One was our organisation in defensive set-pieces and defence in general.
Our work showed on the pitch as well. In our last three league games, we conceded only three times – one of which was from a thunderbolt of a free-kick from Marcelinho.
Except for a wild 25-minute spell in Chennai, I felt, we were able to be compact defensively. It was also an illustration of how offensive prowess can be so critical to a team’s defensive plans. With key players missing, we had to adjust our style of
play.
We kept the philosophy the same with only minor tweaks to play to the strengths of those playing that particular game. It worked well for us in the first half, but we were unable to focus for a period of time. Our inability to keep possession of the ball coupled with them making the best of their opportunities proved to be critical.
But even then, these guys believed that they could mount a comeback and they did exactly that in the second leg. Our belief throughout the game, as was in the season was supreme.
That belief was what led to us winning the AFC Champions League spot. That was a historic feat and one that is even harder to achieve than anything else as it was a test of 18 games across five months.
The resolve everyone has shown, to put in a historic performance needs to be appreciated.
It was a fight all along and they fought till the very end. They fought for each other and fought to bring the best out of each other. That’s why I call them heroes. Heroes of Goa.