Will be fearless against Blasters' intensity, promises Carlos Pena

The Gaurs sit in third place in the league table and can clinch the second spot with a win.

FC Goa will visit the bubbling Jawaharlal Nehru cauldron in Kochi to face Kerala Blasters on Sunday. In what promises to be a clash of titans, Carlos Pena’s side will have an uphill task of subduing Ivan Vukomanovic’s rag-tag warriors. With the energetic Manjappada backing them, the Tuskers will want to maintain their winning run after a difficult start. Keeping themselves buoyant will be the Gaurs’ main concern as they will battle for all three points again. 

ISL foreign veteran Edu Bedia attended the press conference ahead of the two sides’ meeting alongside his former teammate and current manager, Carlos Pena. The two were in high spirits as they addressed the media about a variety of topics.

On sticking with an all-Indian backline under normal circumstances

An injury to Fares Arnaout in the opening minutes meant Carlos Pena had to sacrifice the comfort of experience for the risk of experimentation. Glan Martins being fielded in an unusual centre-back role, however, paid off brilliantly as FC Goa exhibited masterful control. Speaking on the possibility of fielding such a backline from kick-off itself, the head coach confirmed: 

“It’s a question we had in our minds ever since the beginning. I think we have a very balanced squad. We possess enough quality among our players to play in a back four (formation). That way we can take advantage of all of our foreign players moving forward. So we’ve been thinking of different possibilities depending on the moments and events of the games we’re playing. And then it’s (all-Indian defence) a possibility.

He added, "In the last game it worked very well, because the work and commitment of all the players was very good. We could control the game with possession of the ball. So yes, very happy for the team and Glan (Martins) especially.” 

Update on Fares and Vazquez 

Fares Arnaout went out with an adductor injury in the game against Jamshedpur FC. On the other hand, Vazquez has been dealing with a niggle and has struggled to complete 90 minutes of action for his new side. Carlos Pena gave the latest updates on them and the squad as he said:

“Yeah we have some players that are trying to arrive in time for the game today. But we have two more sessions today. I cannot say anything conclusive here right now. Let’s see how they recover and if we can play any of them. Then on Sunday we’ll take a decision.” 

On a dominant performance against the league title holders  

FC Goa obliterated Jamshedpur FC , making them look like a shadow of their former selves in a 3-0 victory. Even after such a powerful showing, their tactician stressed the smallest of details as he is a perfectionist. Despite that Carlos Pena was all praises for his side as he mentioned: 

“I’m happy with the performance of the team. It was a game that we expected. But we have to improve a lot of things. I think we had some minutes in both halves that we didn’t control and they had some chances. But yes, it’s all part of the process. Of course the game of football is that way. We now have a new game on our hands; against Kerala (Blasters) on Sunday, with a different environment and characteristics. We’ll try to adapt and play in the same style that we do so that we can go for all three points again.” 

Expectations from the match 

FC Goa are all set to enter the daunting atmosphere at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. Even though it has not exactly been a fortress for Ivan Vukomanovic’s side, the fanbase has always been vocally articulate about their support. The mentor knows what threat such immense support poses but he is confident about his players as he has reported saying:

“It's going to be tough for them as well as for us. We’ll be playing in a very good environment in a very big stadium. They play very aggressively and with a lot of intensity but we are going to be fearless. I’m absolutely confident about ourselves. Of course, if we start thinking right away that it’s going to be easy, we are going to commit mistakes. I think the game on Sunday is going to be the toughest of all the matches we’ve played so far.” 

On FC Goa’s best start to the season since the 2017-18 campaign 

The Gaurs made it three wins and one draw in an unbeaten start to their 2017-18 season. This time around, they are the closest to replicating the same as they have one loss in place of the draw. Spanish maestro Edu Bedia clarified the importance of initial games and victories as he said:

“Always very important to win. But the first games are very important because with the new players, new staff there are a lot of new feelings that need to be addressed.”

Opinion on ISL and Indian football in his six-year long stint

This will be Bedia’s sixth year playing on Indian soil in the ISL after his debut in 2017 with the Gaurs. Given his prolonged exposure to the same and how he has seen the changing paradigm of Indian football, he explained:

“I’ve spoken previously on this matter and I think that football in India has improved a lot in six years. It used to be very fast and sometimes very competitive but not as tactical. Now it is much closer to European football. It is more competitive and it is very difficult to create and finish chances. The games are very close and I think this is an important change for Indian football.”