The players are tired, admits Juan Ferrando after 4-0 defeat to Persepolis

The tactician spoke after his side suffered a heavy loss in the continental competition.

FC Goa suffered their second consecutive defeat to Persepolis FC in the ongoing AFC Champions League on Friday. The Iranian outfit completely dominated proceedings against Juan Ferrando and co, securing the three points by a 4 - 0 scoreline. 

The Indian Super League (ISL) outfit were a shadow of their former selves compared to the first three games in the competition. Their performance was full of individual errors and the opposition took advantage of their shortcomings.

Goa coach Ferrando made eight changes to the lineup, perhaps due to fatigue. The absence of Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem in goal was most notable, as Naveen Kumar did not impress. Moreover, the Gaurs seem to have lost their influential defender Ivan Gonzalez for the due to a knee injury.

The tactician spoke to the media after the game and expressed his thoughts on the important talking points from the defeat:

Analysis of the game

The Spaniard was honest in his analysis of the second consecutive defeat to Persepolis. He said, “It was a very difficult match, firstly because of playing against a very good team, of course. Secondly, a lot of players were exhausted in the last two days. When you have one week to prepare (for) the game and the squad is short, this is the problem.

“It’s not an excuse, we had mistakes in presses, transitions and at the end, the score is normal, Persepolis is 4-5 steps above Goa. I am very disappointed and sad today. But, in the end, it is not possible to explain more about the players because they are working very hard.” he further added.

Reason behind changes to lineup

The starting lineup had eight changes, which came as a surprise to many. Juan Ferrando explained his decision, saying, “I am happy with the squad because they tried to work hard.

"It's not possible in training sessions because (they need) recovery. They (players) tried their best. Also, regarding psychology of the players, when you are tired and then you concede the second goal against Persepolis, it becomes difficult.”

Psychological effects of scoreline

FC Goa were totally dominated by Persepolis, which was also reflected in the scoreline. The four-goal deficit was unlike the previous result where the Gaurs only lost by a single goal. The tactician spoke about the psychological effects on the players after losing in the manner that they did.

“This score is not good for our psychology, of course. Firstly, its about physical condition, the players are tired. When you lose 4 -0 and you know this is the last week and you play against Al Rayyan and Al Wahda, two very good teams, it’s very difficult I know," Juan Ferrando said, before adding, "It’s the same (with all teams), but this is our squad, this is the reality of the Champions League. In the end, my point of view is to change the mentality. There is no magical solution for the next game."

Positives from game

The 40-year-old concluded the press interaction by answering a question on the positives that he will take away from the match.

“If I tell you the truth, for me, the positive was that we have no injuries today. But, in the end, we have more injuries. yes, two players had problems. But, we’ll see tomorrow after the scans (the extent of the injuries)," he signed off.

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