Hyderabad FC's Shameel Chembakath expresses his thoughts on facing NorthEast United FC

Shameel Chembakath expressed his confidence in his young players

Northeast United FC are all set to host Shameel Chembakath’s Hyderabad FC at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium on Wed, Jan 29, 2025, for Round 19 of the Indian Super League (ISL).

Hyderabad FC have shown signs of life recently, bouncing back from a 3-0 defeat to Mohun Bagan with a crucial win over Jamshedpur FC. Prior to that, they secured impressive draws against strong opposition like East Bengal, Bengaluru FC, and even FC Goa. This positive momentum will be tested against NorthEast United FC, as the team aims to build on their recent performances.

Hyderabad FC’s Interim Head Coach Shameel Chembakath and Goalkeeper Karanjeet Singh spoke to the media at the pre-match press conference.

Coach Shameel’s thoughts

“I think after the last few games, that was one of the things which we worked on. We are more strong in the defence now, we are working more on our structure. And of course, we need to play smart and stick to our strategy. We need to be more disciplined in the entire 90 minutes of the next match. I think the boys are confident now, they are more focused and working hard.” He stated

“I think in the reverse fixture after we were leading 2-0, we made some silly mistakes against North East United which cost us the game, North East is a team who are very strong and they are more aggressive. Since they are more aggressive in attacking, we need to be, like I mentioned, we need to play smart this time. And control that tempo. We cannot just go ahead if you are leading. And we need to make sure how we control the game. Whether to go slow or go against them immediately. I think That is more important.But I think the players are ready to take this challenge And I am sure that they will give the best result for the next match against them.” He added.

Captain Alex Saji faces a match suspension due to 4 yellow cards. Alex Saji was also absent for the game against Bengaluru FC due to a red card suspension. This is leading to a constant change in the defensive backline of the Nawabs. Addressing this issue Coach Shameel said

“I think at the moment I don’t have any issue with that. Because whoever comes from the bench, and whoever I am giving the chance to play, are doing their best. And that is one of the examples when we played against Bengaluru FC. In Alex’s absence, Rafi was playing in his position and the team did well defensively. And we just missed two points in that match. For me even with the rest of the squad also, I am confident about them. And I believe they will give their best for sure.” He concluded.

Karanjit’s thoughts

Goalkeeper Karanjit Singh, a two-time ISL champion, joined Hyderabad FC in November 2024. He is one of the most experienced players in the team, having achieved significant success in the league previously. Following the recent victory over Jamshedpur FC, Singh expressed his delight and emphasized the positive atmosphere within the squad.

“It’s good because last time we won against Jamshedpur FC after a long gap Almost after 2 years, So every player is happy. Now every player wants to give more than 100% because we have 7 matches remaining. And we want to finish in a respectable place. And how we started to get points, so you see the team is going to be better.” He said

“We started to play better as we are getting points. Our next match is against North East. Because in the last 2 years they had the same squad, they are a good team, an experienced team. But we will give our 100% and we will try to make less mistakes than we did in the last match.” He concluded.

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