FC Goa now have variations in playing style, that makes us strong: Brandon Fernandes

Panaji: When Carlos Pena took charge of FC Goa as chief coach, he broke the captaincy tradition at the club.
In the five previous seasons when a Spanish coach has been at the helm, the players were asked to vote for the captain of their choice. All players jotted down the names and the player with the highest votes got the armband.
Pena changed that. The Spanish coach selected the captain himself, and his choice for the job was Brandon Fernandes, among the more popular players and now into his sixth season at the club.
“I did not expect to be the main captain but probably one of the captains,” Brandon told TOI on Tuesday. “When Pena came to Goa, he spoke to me. He said he wanted me to be a leader in the team and set an example to everyone, particularly Indian players. I was very happy to take the responsibility. As an experienced player, I thought I was ready to take up the challenge.”
The FC Goa captaincy, Brandon said, means a lot to him, particularly since he is leading his home team. “It’s a proud moment for me and my family. I’ve always dreamed of playing for FC Goa and one day leading the team. My dream has come true,” he said.
It was a dream start for the 28-year-old winger in this edition of the Indian Super League (ISL). Inside just 10 minutes, in the opener against East Bengal, the winger gave Goa the lead.
Last season, Brandon spent most of the season on the sidelines, injured. He played just seven games, less than 500 minutes, and ended with no goal, just one assist. With a goal in the opener in Kolkata, Brandon, India’s technically gifted footballer, proved that he was keen to make this season count.
“I had a very good pre-season and I feel happy about that. I feel physically fit right now. I’m ready to help the team in every way. The first three games have been good, there were positive results in the first two, but unfortunately, we could not do the same in the last game (against Hyderabad FC),” said Brandon.
The two away wins against East Bengal and Chennaiyin FC, and even the loss against Hyderabad, showed a different side of Goa. While the previous teams put greatest emphasis on starting from the back, keeping the ball and moving their way up, Pena’s team is not in the same mould, unafraid to play the ball long.
“It’s part of the plan,” explained the captain. “We want to build from the back, that's our first idea, and if we don't have options to build up, we will find a better option to play the ball in the opponents’ half. That’s what we are trying to do, play more in the opponents’ half. We want to be the team that has more possession, create more chances, that's always going to be our idea. But if needed, we will go direct.
“You can see that we have brought in a few variations in the playing style. That’s going to make us strong and we will be able to face any team, in any circumstances. This approach will take us a long way into the season.”