Stuart Baxter reveals what new signing Rakesh Pradhan can add to the team

The Englishman was joined by forward Daniel Lalhlimpuia in the pre-match press conference on Monday.

Odisha FC will face Hyderabad FC in their next Indian Super League 2020-21 fixture. The club lost the reverse fixture between the two teams. Both outfits have had different fortunes since then and Stuart Baxter will hope to turn things around as soon as possible.

The pressure is immense on the tactician to get some points on the board. If the going does not get better, the club management might be compelled to take harsh decisions at the personnel level. Speaking to the media ahead of the upcoming game, the Englishman and attacker Daniel Lalhimpuia expressed their opinions on several topics.

Start against Chennaiyin & changes to lineup

The Englishman was asked about the reason that caused his team to start negatively in the last game. He responded, “I think we were negative in our approach and we chose too many long balls, instead of trying to play through and break the lines as we usually do.

“We were forced to make changes in the game and had too many players in that area (fatigued). The changes did not workout optimally and I have been of the opinion that we should not change unless we have to,” Stuart Baxter added in the context of changes that were made to the lineup against CFC.

A word on Diego Mauricio

Diego Mauricio scored yet again after coming off the bench against Chennaiyin and the coach was asked if the Brazilian will start the next game. He expressed, “I think Diego’s attitude has changed as we’ve gone along. He’s been more a member of the team and we more so found him in the structure. I think we are learning to play with each other more and more all the time.”

Addition of Rakesh Pradhan

Odisha FC confirmed the loan signing of Rakesh Pradhan from NorthEast United recently. The Englishman was asked how the player will help the team and if he would start against Hyderabad. He answered, “We have a very young squad and I think his experience will give us something. I think his versatility, he can play as a wide player further forward or he can play as left-back, that should give us something.”

“It’s very quick for him to walk in and walk straight into the team, but we will assess some of our injuries and based on that, we will see if he starts on the bench or if he starts in the starting lineup,” the tactician further went on to add.

Next Opponents

The 67-year-old was also asked about how he assesses Hyderabad FC, against whom they lost their first game of the season. He said, “I think they are a very good team and are one of the best teams right now. I like the way they play. They can play in transition with some quick and technical players.

"In Aridane (Santana), they also have a striker they can go long if they want. I think they are maybe one of the most complete teams and the coach has done a very good job. The scenario this time around, I am hoping that we can show that we have improved.”

Daniel Lalhimpuia on season

Daniel Lalhlimpuia was asked to present his thoughts about the season so far. He spoke, “It’s been a difficult season for us, but as a team we work even harder in training. The players' understanding has improved a lot and I hope in the coming games, we show that we have improved.”

Personal goals

Slowly but surely, Stuart Baxter has started to trust the Indian attacking midfielder and he has been playing more minutes than usual. Speaking on what his personal goals are moving forward, Daniel said, “Getting the opportunity to play, I am very happy. To prove that, when I get the opportunity I take advantage of it. The most important thing is that If I am on the field, I have to make sure that I get the best out of my teammates.”

Gameplan against Aridane

The 23-year-old was asked about the prospect of facing former teammate Aridane and what the gameplan would be to contain him. He answered, “The gameplan will not be very different. We just need to stick to the plan. Things that we have done in training, we have to do in the game.”