ISL 2025-26: TG Purushothaman proud ahead of Inter Kashi test

Odisha FC have appointed TG Purushothaman as the head coach of the club for the upcoming ISL season.

The long-awaited 10-month break for Odisha FC players and fans has ended. After their last performance in the 2025 Super Cup, the Juggernauts will return to compete on the grass on today, when they’ll welcome Inter Kashi FC at the Kalinga Stadium in their opening game of the 2025/26 ISL season.

Their first home game against Punjab FC was postponed due to issues with the club’s training facility and stadium.

The club has made quite a few changes in terms of personnel. They have lost many key personnel of the team, including head coach Sergio Lobera. Former Kerala Blasters assistant and interim head coach TG Purushothaman has been named head coach.

They have also made a few crucial acquisitions to bolster their roster after the losses of Jerry Mawia, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Amey Ranawade, and others.

Before their ISL opener against Inter Kashi, head coach TG Purushothaman and captain Carlos Delgado addressed the media, and here’s what they said.

Purushothaman’s thoughts on the opportunity to lead Odisha FC as head coach

Everyone in Indian football is aware that Odisha FC is having financial difficulties. However, these unpredictable circumstances have made it feasible for an Indian head coach like TG Purushothaman to manage a team in the Indian Super League, the nation’s premier football competition.

Purushothaman expressed his happiness at being appointed as the club’s head coach and thanked the management for the chance.

“It’s a privilege to sit here and I’m very honored to be here with this great club. I’m very thankful for everyone to be here. We have very promising youngsters and experienced player. It’s a mixture of both. We are trying to make a structure with discipline and with the fighting spirit. That’s only the start, step by step we are going up like that.”, added TG Purushothaman.

Purushothaman on whether local players be given more opportunities?

“For me, it’s regarding the performance and what they do in the training sessions. No matter if it’s a senior player, junior player, local player or international player, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the performance, what the team needs and what they can give to the team. And the fighting spirit and how they maintain the pressures and how they contribute to the well-being of the team. It doesn’t matter if they are local players or not. If they perform, they are in”, insisted Purushothaman.

Also Read: ISL 2025-26: Odisha FC predicted lineup for upcoming season

Purushothaman’s thoughts on the goals for the upcoming season

As previously mentioned, Odisha FC’s team for the next season is far weaker than it has been in past seasons under Sergio Lobera. They have, nonetheless, been able to hold onto a substantial portion of its Indian core while also adding a few more talented local players.

Speaking about realistic expectations for the forthcoming season, the former Kerala Blasters assistant coach underlined that playing well is more essential than results.

Speaking regarding the goals, Purushothaman added, “It’s step by step (process), one by one we come up. We have to see what we can achieve after two or three matches. And also, we need to be positive, the performance matters. Not focusing on the results. Let the results come when we perform well. I believe in that and hopefully everything will be okay.”

“Analyzing the opponents, they are a good team. Their performance in the last match was quite good. Let’s see what happens and how can we exploit their weakness and how can we stick on to our strength. So, it depends on that. Let’s see what happens tomorrow”, added TG Purushothaman.

Carlos Delgado addresses on defensive concerns

Carlos Delgado is the sole foreign player in the roster for the 2025/26 ISL. Last season, despite having good defensive players, Odisha FC was unable to avoid giving up goals, conceding 40 in 25 games across all competitions.

With Amey, Jerry, Fall, and Narender Gahlot gone, the defense is only going to get weaker. Despite these flaws, Delgado is prepared to lead the team and believes they have enough talent.

“Last season was difficult for us. And this season, obviously, we need to be compact, and we need to be together. We have very good players in defense, like Thoiba, Subham, Gama and a lot of good players. They have a lot of experience. We need to try to be compact. When you are defending, you need to defend with 11 players. If the defense is very open, then you will suffer. So, this is the most important now. Try to play and to be agitated and compact as 11 players, not only four.”, commented Delgado.

Carlos Delgado’s message to the fans

“Fans for us will be crucial this season. They will be the 12th man on top of the team because finally they gave us a lot in the previous season. We saw how they supported us. This season, more than ever, we will need it. So please come to the stadium and support the team because fighting together, we will be a stronger team.”, pleaded Carlos Delgado.

Purushothaman’s message to stakeholders of Indian Football:

“Everyone is suffering regarding the situations happening in the football. And we have to solve these problems. So, whatever comes, we have to solve it in a good way without harming anyone or anything. It has to be, finding the solution, that’s it. If we get not to play, it’s difficult. Without clubs, without matches, nothing is there. So that’s the only problem. So, we have to solve it in a good manner.”, requested TG Purushothaman.

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