Hyderabad: Sergio Lobera, who joined the Indian Super League side Mumbai City FC as the head coach last month, promised ‘beautiful football’ from his club in the upcoming season which will be kicked off in Goa from November 20.
With the prevailing Covid conditions, the entire 13th season will be held in Goa at three venues. Speaking on the pre-season training, the 43-year-old Spaniard, who earlier worked with Goa FC, said, “This time the league is going to be very challenging given the shorter period of time. But you can’t complain in these conditions. Getting to play is a privilege. We are working hard at the club and we will give our best on the field to give ‘beautiful football’ from our side. It is very important to play attacking football and defensive at the same time. So we are looking to have balance in the both.”
The veteran, who had coaching stints across the globe, noted that this edition would be the most competitive season given that all teams have assembled good sides. “All teams are very tough. It is going to be very close, in fact, the most competitive season ever. All teams have good overseas signings. Our collective objective is, of course, to win the cup. I feel, given the situation, whoever adapts to the conditions quickly will have success.”
When asked about how difficult it was to train in a bio-bubble, he added, “It is definitely challenging. But we are happy to be on the field playing. The conditions are difficult. Whenever we get time, we do different activities other than training. Keeping players fresh for the length of the tournament is going to be a tough challenge. We have become a family spending so much time together in the bio-bubble. And unlike other seasons, we had very short time for preparations.”
He also said he was looking at the new challenge with the new club. “I like challenges and pressure, that’s when we perform the best. I am not focused on individuals here. I want everyone to have one common goal and work towards it. We can’t win the title with the best 11 players but we need the entire squad of 28 players. Managing 28 people the entire duration will be tough. But we are up for the challenge. The foreign players will play a key role on and off the field and the goal is to improve the standard of Indian footballers. The league has grown so much in a very short time,” he revealed.
Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.
Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .