Champions League one of the main points to sign for Goa, says Igor Angulo

The 36-year-old also reiterated that he feels the best domestic players are at FC Goa.

Since signing for FC Goa, Igor Angulo spoke for the first time with the press in a virtual round table conversation on Wednesday. The Spaniard revealed that when he had decided to depart from his former club Gornik Zabrze a month ago, he was keen to take up a new challenge and moved to FC Goa.

“Of course we are going to have a lot of new people, new players, the coach is new. All the things in world are like this, they have to rebuild themselves every year and in Goa it is not going to be different," Igor Angulo began.

"But, I think we will have a team that will be good enough to face the league, the playoffs and the (AFC) Champions League. So, I hope it is going to be a very good season for us,” the attacker spoke of the reason that prompted him to join the FC Goa despite the fact that they are undergoing a squad revamp currently.

However, the forward’s job is not going to encounter a convenient responsibility at the club. His predecessor, Ferran Corominas had scored 48 goals and notched 16 assists in 57 matches of the Indian Super League since 2017-18 for the Gaurs. He has attained a legendary status in the league and Igor Angulo will be expected to replicate a similar impact.

“Yeah, I know that Corominas is a legend in the club. But, of course, he scored so many goals because the team and the coach gave him the confidence to score goals and get his best performance. So, I think both the team and Corominas have to be grateful to each other. I think Corominas is a part of the good past of Goa but now we have to see the present and look at the future,” he opined.

“I think we have a very good squad to face in both the competitions (ISL and AFC Champions League) in the best way possible. So I think, I hope and I am sure that I will not miss him. I wish him the best to know because I know him personally as we had played together in U-20, U-21 of the Spanish national team long time ago. He is a very good guy and a very good player but now he is not a part of the team so we have to look at the future and the future of Goa and the club is even better than the past,” Igor Angulo added.

The 36-year-old admitted that it is not going to be easy to replace Corominas but he is used to dealing with this kind of pressure. Angulo insisted that he has led the Polish club Gornik Zagrzb and has prior experience of handling such expectations. “Football is a collective sport and we will need the help of everyone, not only one player can do everything for himself. We need a good first XI and a good squad. And I think we have it and we will not miss anybody who is not in the team right now,” the veteran striker asserted.

FC Goa have had a significant amount of Spanish influence within their squad in the last few years. Despite the departure of several players, they have brought in more Spaniards in Igor Angulo, Jorge Ortiz Mendoza and Ivan Gonzalez. Angulo revealed that he had been in touch with Carlos Pena to know more about the Gaurs as he knew the defender back from their days together with the national team.

ALSO READ: Jorge Ortiz Mendoza: I’m here to help FC Goa achieve goal to win ISL

Speaking of his teammates at the club, he asserted, “I know that we have very talented Indian players. About this I was speaking to the coach and Ravi (Puskur) too. The young talents have to help us a lot in this season, because they are going to be very important. Of course, the foreigners are going to be important but the Indian players could be the key of the success. I think that the most talented Indian players are in FC Goa and we are very happy about it.”

Igor Angulo also believed that he will manage to fit in the team’s style of football, which is stimulated by a Spanish influence. “Everybody calls Goa’s playing style as tiki-taka, you know. They like to play with the ball, on the ground. They like to attack all the time, doesn’t matter the result. I understand that the style of play is to always attack, to keep the ball at the feet and I think this is a Spanish style too,” he remarked about the club’s philosophy on the field

“I am from Spain too so I think I can adapt to this style of play easier than any other style. Goa always was like this so far. Now we have so many players, a new coach but I think that this style of play is not going to change for sure," he affirmed.

ALSO READ: FC Goa will perform well in the Champions League, believes Seiminlen Doungel

FC Goa will be participating in the group stages of the AFC Champions League in the forthcoming season. Speaking about the continental tournament, Igor Angulo stated, “One of the main points to sign for Goa was to play in the AFC Champions League. I am a very competitive players and I like to play against the best clubs. This competition gives me what I want.”

Igor Angulo will also come into the club as one of their most seasoned professionals. He is bound to add more qualities to the team, more than his goal-scoring touch. “I am 36 years old; I played in every single year. I didn’t have any break. I have faced all the situations in the pitch, almost. So any problems that we will have in the pitch next season, I have passed them already. I think that experience is very important,” he concluded.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter and join our community on Telegram.