We don’t just sit off and play through teams the way we want, notes Des Buckingham

The Mumbai City FC head coach was happy to be able to continue the undefeated run in the Indian Super League.

Mumbai City FC head coach Des Buckingham has acknowledged that Chennaiyin FC put forth a difficult challenge in front of the Islanders though the home side won 2-1 against the Marina Machans at the Mumbai Football Arena (MFA) in the ISL 2022-23 game on Saturday. The tactician also spoke about having multiple approaches to counter teams with different playing styles this year, something that he believes will hold them in good stead as they enter the second half of the current season.

Here are the excerpts from Buckingham’s post-match press conference.

Brief assessment of the game

“We knew that as the season progresses, the games are going to get more difficult because teams have been playing together longer and because of that teams are going to get better, as I said before the game. I thought Chennai were fantastic tonight. They made it very difficult for us. I am sure we are going to expect that for the coming nine games as the ISL season starts to tip the other way,” Des Buckingham said.

However, he praised his team of not being a one-trick pony as the 37-year-old explained, “It was good to see that we have different ways to play. If games do become like that then, when it is high-pressure, if it becomes a little bit more aggressive at times then we can also match that. We don’t just sit off and play through teams the way we want. If teams are going to make it difficult for us, the pleasing thing for me tonight was that we can show signs that we can do that as well.”

On Sourav Das man-marking Greg Stewart

Mumbai’s attacking lynchpin Greg Stewart was assiduously man-marked by Chennaiyin midfielder Sourav Das for the better part of the game. However, the incumbent ISL Golden Ball winner managed to escape Das’ shadows to score the winner and secure three points for his team. Buckingham explained that he expects his players to be closely monitored by the opposition and that the Islanders have different methods to overcome these challenges.

“I thought they man-marked two or three of our midfielders at times. That’s fun. I spoke to the group at half time about making sure that we know last year when Jahouh and Apuia in particular we man-marked, it became difficult for us. We have worked very hard in making sure that we have different ways of combating that and different ways that we can play. Whether it’s playing wide, or whether it’s playing over at times,” Buckingham said.

He added, “Because if you can mix your game a little bit and the players understand that, then there will be still times when we can play into Greg, Jahouh, Apuia even if they are under pressure because they are good players. But it’s about recognizing when to do which now.”

Des Buckingham's tweaks to safeguard the lead

Mumbai have been relentless in attack this season in the ISL, scoring 32 goals in 11 games, which is the highest amongst all the clubs so far. However, the head coach has shown a fair bit of pragmatism as well, prioritizing results over goal fests as per the demand of the situation. Buckingham opened up the fact that winning by huge margins might not be plausible towards the backend of the season and that the side will have to be content with that as long as they walk away with three points. 

“We are in a position where in the last 10 games when we have won games we have won them by two goals or more. That’s not going to be the case all the time, and certainly, as the season progresses when there’s only one goal in it, as it was here against ATK when we were 2-1 up going into the final 10 minutes,” Buckingham said.

He added, “We need to learn to firstly manage the game and secondly if there is a tactical switch where we feel that we can just secure certain things without taking away our attacking intent as well. We need to make use of the squad that we have because it’s very important that we come away with three points.”

Secret behind Mumbai’s unbeaten run so far

Mumbai have now gone 11 games unbeaten this ISL campaign. Murmurs are getting louder over them actually doing an ‘Invincible’ in the ISL this year. However, Des Buckingham has shrugged off those suggestions earlier. After the win against Chennaiyin, he was probed about the ingredients that have gone behind the making of this fantastic unit. Buckingham offered a holistic perspective on the issue, appreciating the entire structure of the club for putting in the required efforts to optimize their potential.

“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. It is worth 15 months of work. It is getting the right people in the build-up, players and staff. It’s about being clear about what we are doing and how we do it. It’s the everyday standards and work rate that not just the staff but players and the whole club are striving to achieve to be the best club that we can be. I am not going to compare ourselves to others. To do that, we need to keep pushing, we need to get better. We know that the next nine games are not going to be easy,” the head coach said.

“But they are games that we want to go and still try and win because we want to be successful this year. It’s the recruitment of good people, good players and it’s a lot of hard work behind the scenes. People only see what’s on the TV. They don’t see the day-to-day work that these guys put in and then it’s the consistent drive to push each other. If they can do that, then it’s down to how we play the game and the management of the staff to make sure that we secure the points more often than not,” he signed off.