We'll try to win and bring ISL Shield home, says Petr Kratky

Mumbai City FC skipper Rahul Bheke, who assisted Petr Kratky in the press conference, highlighted the same motto.

And it has all come down to the wire as Mumbai City FC will take on Mohun Bagan on the road, in what is the ultimate decider on which team will take the ISL 2023-24 Shield home.

Their previous meeting saw Mumbai City FC emerge victorious in a fiercely contested match, marred by multiple red cards. However, the current scenario tilts in favor of Mohun Bagan, with Antonio Habas leading the charge and the advantage of playing at the Salt Lake Stadium.

Let’s take a look at what Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky and captain Rahul Bheke revealed in the pre-match press conference:

To be so close

Petr Kratky expressed his excitement on being so close in winning the ISL Shield in his pilot year as the Mumbai City FC head coach. He said, “It feels very good. It’s always a privilege to be up the ladder and even better when it’s the last game. So it’s exciting time in football, you have to always appreciate it and this opportunity because it’s not going around very often. I am excited.”

The coach also shared, “It’s exciting times. For me, I am confident in the group. They are a good group, so this for me is another game. We have all the quality for what we can do, but we just have to work hard, because it will not be easy. They are very good team and they’re playing at home so they’ll have all advantage. We just have to stick together, fight from the first minute to the last minute. You want to win and you don’t want to drop out. It’s to work hard and do your best. It will not be easy but we are ready for it.”

Most Important Match?

The tactician also revealed that even though everything are on stakes in this game, he sees it as yet another match. “Of course there is lot at stake to win the Shield but overall you have to look at the whole season. It’s been a really good season and the second consecutive season in playing for the Shield. It’s come to one game for the Shield.”

He added, “I don’t think it’s the most important game because there were important games to get in that position we are at. A very important game was Odisha, so was that against Hyderabad. Similarly the Mohun Bagan game is also important. The occasion is just a little bit different but we are ready.”

Mohun Bagan experiencing change?

Last time when both the teams faced at the Mumbai Football Arena, it was Juan Ferrando who was at the sidelines for Mohun Bagan. But now, ever since Mohun Bagan brought in Antonio Habas, the Mariners have seen a resurgence and are back at their best.

When asked whether he thinks the team underwent any change, Petr Kratky replied, “Of course. You can see that there was change that happened for a reason and it was a positive one for them. The coach is very good. They changed little bit in formation. They have strong foreigners and strong Indian players. So there was change, and that’s why they bounced back in the second half of the season and are now fighting for the title. After the change at the helm, they are getting better with time.”

Important Season for Indian football

This ISL season has been one of the best, if not the best compared to previous ones. Rahul Bheke highlighted, “Every season of ISL was important. As you can see, the numbers of Indian scorers increased. In the first season, the numbers of foreign scorers were more and now the Indian scorers are equally competing and scoring on the field. So it has been helping Indian football and Indian players. Regarding the 10th season, we all know how important this whole footballing calendar was, where we had ISL matches and national team games. Overall, the ISL has helped the Indian players and in future it will help the players too. So, we all are very much happy with the season so far.”

For Petr Kratky too, this season was somewhat challenging. The coach compounded, “It was obviously challenging because I came in mid-season. But what Des Buckingham did, the foundation was set. My job was to just keep going forward and help the team perform and try to achieve the highest possible achievements. That was my goal. We just worked hard and continued what was already done before. We just can’t forget that. There was a lot of good work done before I came. The boys worked hard whole season. It was not easy for them because they had busy schedules, but it’s exciting times for the league and the players. They just deserve to be where they are. All looking good so far.”

Impact of playing against a massive crowd

The Salt Lake will be buzzing and supporting the Mohun Bagan side throughout. The skipper revealed it’s possible impact on him and how he enjoys these type of games.

“It’s different for all the players, but I really like playing under huge crowd. When they are against you, it’s all about your mentality. For these 90 minutes it’s all about us, how mentally strong we are throughout the game, to keep them away from the goal, or when we fight and go for the win. It’s totally different for each player. I personally feel it’s really good because you can test yourself when you play against a huge crowd,” he added.

Balancing the Complacency

Bheke also asserted that maintaining the same motivation as last year was difficult. He stated, “It is very difficult for me to be motivated. Last year we won the Shield, this year are in contention again. The motivation that we need is present in each and every player and that is why we are here at this stage. This is not easy – after winning the Shield to motivate yourself to win another Shield next season. The reason we are at this stage is because players have worked hard throughout the season and helped the team.”

He added, “The players around me – Tiri, Phurba, Yoell, Noguera, Diaz, they all are leaders. It’s not like I am the captain so I am their senior player. They all are equally leaders and have proved themselves. Each and every player displayed their leadership equally and that is why we are here. The double is our target. One of that we will be achieving in the next two days and then our next target. We had to fight for these two targets and we will make sure we achieve it.”

The captain also spoke about how these players step up when needed and how positive that is for him as well as the coach. “It’s not a headache, we can take it as a positive because players are coming and stepping up, coming off the bench and scoring or playing well. This is always good for the team, for the squad, for the nation and for Indian football. Players are always there to support the team. It’s a headache for the coach, when they come up and perform well. This should keep on growing in future too,” he said.

For the Fans

Pete Kratky also shared some words on the ever-supporting fans. He expressed his gratitude, “We will give our 100%. We will fight for them if they can’t be there. We will fight from the first minute to the last. We will leave everything on the pitch and that’s what I can promise from my side. We will try to win the game and bring the Shield home.”

Bheke added, “West Coast brigade and Mumbai City FC fans, I know that you will not be there (at the Salt Lake) supporting in large numbers, but we will make sure that we give something back in return. We will try to win this match anyhow and bring the Shield back home.”

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.