No clarity yet on match venue, reveals FC Goa director Ravi Puskur

The Gaurs' DoF spoke alongside head coach Juan Ferrando ahead of his team's game against Delhi FC..

FC Goa emerged as Group B winners and qualified for the knockout stages of the Durand Cup. The Gaurs are scheduled to play Delhi FC in the quarterfinals on Friday. Ahead of the game, FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando and Director of Football Ravi Puskur addressed the media.

Thoughts on venue

Its been raining cats and dogs for the past few days in Kolkata. And the downpour has resulted in water-logging at match venues. FC Goa were supposed to play their quarterfinal fixture against Delhi at the Mohun Bagan Ground. But, the ground is submerged under water. Ravi Puskur was questioned about what is the club’s stance on this scenario. “We are extremely concerned about the condition of the match venue for tomorrow.

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“Me and Juan (Ferrando) made a visit this morning to see the ground. And we’re pretty much aghast with the conditions that we found at the ground. The pitch is waterlogged and I don’t see how it’s possible for a match to happen there tomorrow. We pointed this out to the Organizing Committee of the Durand Cup and thankfully they’ve agreed that the match shouldn’t be played there.

“They’re trying to find an alternative venue. I do believe Kalyani and Salt Lake are the two other options. We’re waiting to hear back from them and see where the venue is. We are having a pre-match press conference, but I don’t know where we’re going to play the match,” he explained.

Ravi Puskur was further asked if FC Goa have practically ruled out playing at the Kalyani Stadium given how the conditions are. “Honestly, there's not a lot of confidence when another coach who's actually had an experience with the ground first, comes back and is not very complimentary of the situation. I don't think it makes a lot of sense for us to be going to Kalyani. It's not a stadium that's exactly next door.

“I don't think that's ideal for us to be going at six in the morning to play a game at two o'clock in the afternoon. And have to go through a journey of two and a half, three hours to get to a game. So, to be honest, it's not an option for us. We will have to consider our decision once we hear back from the organizers,” he asserted.

Approach towards tomorrow’s game

Juan Ferrando was quizzed about what will be his approach going into the game. He said, “We are working on different plans, with foreign and young players. Of course, we need to improve a lot of points step-by-step. I’m happy about some details and about some young players.”

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FC Goa topped their group and are surely high on confidence. But, Juan Ferrando feels that their confidence won’t matter in tomorrow’s game. “This is the past. Our focus is on tomorrow’s game against Delhi FC to prepare a good plan because it’s a difficult opponent. For us, the last three games are the past. Of course, we learnt about some details, but our focus is on tomorrow,” the tactician revealed.

Thoughts on Delhi FC

The Spaniard was quizzed about his thoughts on FC Goa’s opponents Delhi FC. Ferrando said he is more focused on his own team and other aspects of their pre-season. “We’re only thinking about our team. Our focus is to improve the players. Of course, we need to control a lot points because it’s like a pre-season. For me, it’s a good time in Kolkata because we’re working a lot on tactical and different plans. In one month or more or less we will be ready for the ISL. And this is the most important moment for us,” he replied.

Thoughts on Pre-season

Juan Ferrando could only manage a pre-season of 3-4 weeks last time out. But, this season, he’s had a long and better pre-season. He said he’s happy and thankful to the club for organizing such a long and good pre-season. “It is our target to improve day-by-day. I’m so happy because we’ve prepared a good pre-season. We can work everyday and improve. When we'll be participating in the ISL, we will have more plans depending on the opponent.

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“This is why I’m happy in comparison to the last pre-season. We have more time, more friendly games and a lot of positive points. At the end the result will be better in the ISL,” he stated.

Thoughts on Durand Cup

When questioned that how he sees playing the Durand Cup was given how the conditions have unfolded with the ISL just months away, the Spaniard replied, “I was pretty happy when we decided to participate in the Durand Cup because it’s a prestigious tournament. But, day-by-day we know about the real situation. It’s not possible to change a lot of points. It is only necessary to deal with match conditions.

“Our focus is to work step-by-step to improve. Of course, it’s not good for the professional teams to come here and participate in such conditions,” he concluded.

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