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Important to make players believe they can beat anyone, asserts Carlos Pena

Published at :December 17, 2022 at 11:31 AM
Modified at :December 17, 2022 at 11:31 AM
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Tarkesh Jha


The FC Goa head coach dicussed his team's preparations for the Indian Super League game against NorthEast United.

FC Goa head coach Carlos Pena has affirmed that only deserving players will make it to the starting XI in the buildup of their upcoming Hero Indian Super League (ISL) encounter against NorthEast United FC. The Spaniard spoke extensively about imbibing a spirit of competitiveness in the lineup and opened up about gradually resurrecting the side after their lowly ninth-place finish in the league table last year. Here are the excerpts from Pena’s post-match press conference.

Repeat of performance vs Odisha on the cards?

“This week, we have set about focusing on ourselves; focus in the repeat the same performance that we did against Odisha. Of course, everyone knows that NorthEast hasn’t won any game. But it doesn’t matter, because they change their head coach. They are trying to find their first victory,” Carlos Pena remarked, as he refrained from making light work of their flailing opposition.

 “They change the coach 10 days ago. The players have had time. They want to make their fans happy and they are coming tomorrow here to get their first victory,” he added.

Rationale behind backing youngsters in the lineup

Carlos Pena has been giving ample playing time to multiple youngsters like Ayush Dev Chhetri and Anwar Ali this season. This has certainly raised some eyebrows as the team has been touted to be on a journey to script a comeback in the current campaign. The former FC Goa centre-back was probed about the rationale behind going for certain players in the starting XI, irrespective of their age which makes them prone to make greater mistakes.

 “First of all, their quality… If I use them it’s because of their quality. When I arrive, I am not going to be the mascot of any player. If a player wants to play, if he deserves to play, he will play. These are players that have a lot of quality. It’s not about my work. It’s about the recruitment staff of the club. It’s about the coaches and the people who are working in the academy. It’s about everyone in FC Goa. I am very happy to have this quality of players in my squad. So, from my side, I am very clear with them – if they deserve, they are going to play,” Pena explained.

He further added, “And about mistakes, football is a game of mistakes. Who doesn’t try, doesn’t make mistakes? The most important thing is to learn from mistakes and try to never make them again. But it is a process and with young players, you need to have that confidence in them and work on their mistakes, of course, they are young, and they need to improve on something. But if you don’t feel confident in the staff it’s very difficult to improve.”

On Anwar Ali

Anwar Ali has played the entire 90 minutes in all nine games for FC Goa this year. He has been solid from a defensive perspective and also bagged a couple of assists so far. The 22-year-old is steadily getting his career back on track after dealing with and overcoming a dangerous heart condition a couple of years back. Pena revealed that the youngster had impressed him last year itself and spoke about the finer tunes of his playing style and mentality as well.

“If I put him in the starting XI, it’s because he deserves it. I am very clear on that. He caught my attention last season. I saw all games of FC Goa when I was in Spain and of course, you don’t really know a player until you spend some days and some training with them, you know. And, Anwar, I feel has a bright future. He has a lot of skills. He is helping us a lot in attack and defence. I think it’s a great environment for him because FC Goa was for him in a difficult moment for him,” the head coach Carlos Pena said.

He added, “I wish and I hope he can stay with us for many years because it is important for the top players to be at a place where you feel like the people around you love you. I am very happy with his performance. Of course, he has to improve on many, many things. I am here to help him to improve. With this mentality, he has a great career ahead of him.”

Goa needs to be realistic

Goa has suffered four losses in nine games until now. Carlos Pena reiterated that the team is coming into this season on the back of a dismal campaign last time around. He described that they now have the belief of triumphing against any opposition and that this will hold them in good stead going forward.

“About the team, we must know where we come from. Last season, this team finished in the ninth position.  It was difficult. There have been many changes inside the squad and inside the coaching staff. I feel the most important at the start of the season was to make believe the players in the squad that they are here to beat anyone. This is difficult because you come from last season, this is difficult. I think we have achieved this,” Carlos Pena said.

“Because players now feel that at their best now we can beat anyone. We have shown against ATKMB, and we have shown against Odisha. We have competed against Hyderabad,” he quipped.

Anwar Ali on future objectives

“My next step is to win a trophy for my club and country as I have never won a trophy in my life so far,” Ali remarked crisply when asked what rests ahead in the fledging career.

“Playing at the back is difficult as we start attacks from the back itself. If I make a mistake then I don’t take the pressure and only try to get better and not repeat my mistakes. I have been following FC Goa for a long time and that’s one of the reasons I joined the club,” the centre-back further said about his overall adaptation to the playing style of the club.  

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