Staikos Vergetis: We must not think about first win all day

Staikos Vergetis expressed satisfaction on the performance of his players. 

Punjab FC played out an entertaining 3-3 draw with Bengaluru FC in the ongoing 2023-24 Indian Super League at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Thursday. While a point away from home is still a decent outcome, giving up a two-goal lead will hurt PFC’s fans and head coach Staikos Vergetis.

The Punjab-based outfit are yet to record their first win of the campaign. It has been a difficult transition from the I-League to the ISL, but the tactician is focused towards improving the performance of the side.

Here are the excerpts from the post-match press conference:

Analysis

Speaking about the performance of his players, Staikos Vergetis expressed satisfaction with their overall effort. At the same time, he was disappointed to see his team give away poor goals to Bengaluru FC. He said, “From one side of the coin, I am happy with the effort given by the players against a big team with quality players. They were competitive, made it difficult for the opponent and had faith in the plan. For the youngsters, games like today will help them build their careers.”

“From the other side of the coin, I am sad because we could have avoided two of the three goals (conceded). This is why I am sad,” he added while expressing disappointment upon conceding cheap goals.

Half time changes and Mehdi Talal’s injury

Bengaluru FC made a few changes at half time which seemed to have made an impact on their performance. Speaking in this context, the Punjab FC head coach said, “For sure, some players like Javi (Hernandez) increased their performance in the second half, but, I am not sure to answer if the half time changes impacted the result.”

Punjab FC fans feared the worst when their star player Madih Talal was substituted in the 62nd minute. Suggesting that it is not yet clear what happened to Talal, Vergetis said, “He signalled towards me to make the change. I called the substitute to come inside. I have not seen him yet to see what has happened.”

The performance of the team is more important

Staikos Vergetis clarified that the first win of the season is not the biggest priority, rather the focus is on developing the players and improving their overall performance. He said, “The first win must not be something that always exists or revolves in our minds. For me, the most important thing is the performance of the team. To have the players keep faith in a plan, to improve defensive function. It will come, maybe the next game or the one after that but we must not think about it (first win) all day.”

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