We have to be cautious and grounded: Naushad Moosa

NorthEast United's assistant coach Naushad Moosa believes the Punjab FC game won't be easy.

NorthEast United pulled off a dominant win over Chennaiyin FC last week. The Highlanders put up an excellent show and wrapped up a 3-0 victory over the Marina Machans in style at home.

Next up, the Guwahati-based side will travel to the national capital to play against the ISL’s latest entrants Punjab FC. Ahead of the game, NorthEast United’s assistant coach Naushad Moosa and defender Asheer Akhtar addressed the media.

Mood in the camp

The assistant coach started by sharing an update on the mood inside the dressing room. He said, “We lost the first match but there were a lot of takeaways. We learnt from our weaknesses and worked on them. And in the second match, we were much better and therefore we got a positive result.”

Thoughts on Punjab FC

Sharing his thoughts on Punjab FC, Naushad Moosa said that they are a very balanced side and will bounce back stronger after losing their opening games.

“Our head coach says a very important thing that we need to respect our opponents. This is Punjab’s first season with new players. They are a good and very balanced team. Even though they lost their games, they played attacking football."

He also added that his team needs to be careful as it is not going to be an easy match.

“They are a very good side. We have been instructing the team that we need to be careful because we are going to play a very good opponent. It is not going to be an easy match,” he asserted.

Thoughts ahead of the game

Moosa also said that every game is different and it is very important that the players forget about the last game and focus on this one.

“Every game is different. We won the last game, but we don’t know what will happen in the next game. So, we have to be cautious and grounded. We need to forget what happened in the last game, work on our mistakes and see that we don’t repeat our mistakes."

He also mentioned that it is very important to be positive and stay grounded.

“We need to be positive for the next game. It is very important that we stay grounded because the opponent has lost two games and will surely come back stronger in this one,” he quipped.

Approach

It will be NorthEast United’s first away game of the season. When asked if there will be a change in approach from the Highlanders, Naushad Moosa said, “It is very important to give our 100% whenever we go for any game. Yes, there is an advantage when we play at home in front of our fans. There won’t be a change in our approach. We want to play attacking and good football.”

“We are not worried about the fourth game, we need to focus on the game that we are playing in Delhi now. If you play good, the result will be positive,” he added.

Asheer’s comments

Thoughts on his performance

Asheer Akhtar told the media about his performance in the league so far. He said, “I'm very thankful to NorthEast United for this opportunity. As a defender, we always think about keeping a clean-sheet, but yes scoring a goal gives me more confidence. We are on the right path and it is just the beginning. We just need to keep going together.”