Sergio Lobera: I'm very happy with the fitness condition of my team

The Spaniard spoke ahead of his side's mouthwatering clash against Chennaiyin FC.

After three consecutive victories, Mumbai City FC will take on Chennaiyin FC on December 9 at the GMC Stadium. The Islanders are currently placed at the top of the points table and will be looking to sustain this momentum in the upcoming matches. Head coach Sergio Lobera and star striker Adam le Fondre addressed the media ahead of the face-off against the Marina Machans.

Le Fondre didn’t start the game against Odisha FC, as Bartholomew Ogbeche occupied the striker’s spot. They were lined up together in Mumbai’s opening game of the season, but that hasn’t been the case since. 

Answering whether the two of them can play simultaneously on the field, Le Fondre said, “Yes, definitely, we worked a little bit on that in pre-season as well. Obviously, it’s not down to me who plays well and the team selection. I think we are quite lucky that we have got such a strong squad. I mean, at any moment, we can have me playing or Bart playing and the results still come with that.”

The Englishman had bagged a brace against SC East Bengal and Hugo Boumous was critical in setting up both those goals. The former FC Goa talisman had assisted Le Fondre’s first strike and then won the penalty for the striker to double his tally. 

Speaking about the midfield combination of Ahmed Jahouh and Rowllin Borges and his own partnership with Boumous, Le Fondre explained, “Like I said, I think we have got a really good squad. Obviously, when Jahouh didn’t play Hernan (Santana) came in and did a great job in central midfield. So, you know we are very lucky to have such a good squad to cover everybody. I don’t see any problem, as everybody knows the way we want to play. So, when one player doesn’t play the other one can easily stand in and do what’s required of them.”

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He added, “Everyone knows the specific roles that they have to play and how we want to play as well. So, I don’t think any one player is more important than the other. I just think as a collective. We know everything we can do and that’s the major strength for us, that we can all come together as one and know everyone’s role.”

Mumbai will be playing their second game in four days and squad rotation is definitely an important factor in such tight schedules. Sergio Lobera agreed with that as he said, “It’s very important. When you have a very good squad, you can use different players during the same game or different games during a short time. It’s a good option for me as a coach, obviously. We need to adapt in this situation because it’s not only about now to play in a short time; I think it’s the same situation during the full season. We need to work on this, but I am very happy with the fitness condition of my team.”

The tactician was probed about the refereeing standards in the league and his opinion regarding the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the ISL. “I don’t like and I don’t want to speak about the referees. Their job is very difficult. We have a lot of work and we need to put focus on our job. The best way is to try to help them in their job, it’s not easy. I think we need to give them the respect they deserve. About VAR, I think it’s maybe a difficult solution now. But, it’s one idea more if it’s possible to improve and if it’s possible to do well,” Lobera replied. 

Mumbai have sealed the top position in the league standings for now, as ATK Mohun Bagan succumbed to a defeat to Jamshedpur FC on Monday. Asked whether there is additional pressure to hold on to first place in the league, the 43-year-old responded, “Our focus is not on the table now. Our focus is in the next game. We need to go step-by-step. I think it’s a big mistake if we are only looking at the position in the table.” 

He further said, “I think it’s very important to prepare well for the next game and this is the most important thing for me as a coach. About our philosophy, our style of play, obviously we need to improve. We need time. Obviously, you know, very short pre-season, very short time between games. I am happy because I think we are improving game-by-game, but we need to improve a lot of things.”

Mumbai were handed a 1-0 defeat by NorthEast United in their opening game of the season. However, things have improved since and nine points with three clean-sheets so far holds the team in good stead for the forthcoming challenges. 

Reflecting on the performances so far, Sergio Lobera quipped, “This is the past, about the statistics. Hopefully, this is the best final, not only the best start. We need to keep (doing) our job. We need to work very hard and believe in our squad and our style of play. Hopefully, at the end of the season, our fans will be very happy and proud with our job.”

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Mumbai have conceded the least number of goals (1) in the league this season. Their sparkling attack often hogs all the limelight, but Lobera seems to have instilled more discipline and robustness in the backline too. 

The head coach admitted, “I think the key in football is the balance between attack and defence. We are an attacking team, but we need to defend well because it’s very important to us. It’s not easy, three clean-sheets in a row. But, I always think the best way to defend well is to have the ball, to have possession. When you increase the possession, you have more options to score goals and less options to concede opportunities to the opposition team.”

Teams seem to be getting in the groove more seamlessly now, as the league is past its initial stages. Sergio Lobera was asked if that would result in an enhanced quality of football being put on display from now onward. The tactician agreed, but also cautioned that teams might face quite a lot of injury concerns going ahead in the campaign. 

“We have more time and hopefully day-by-day the level of the league it’s possible to improve and grow. But, the concern is about the injuries. I think when you had a very short pre-season, the injuries maybe is a big problem for the teams. But, obviously, Mumbai City and other teams it’s necessary to work a lot. It’s very special circumstances. It’s not possible to compare to other seasons, when you had 6-7 weeks before the start of the tournament to work with the team. But, they are not excuses. All teams are in the same situation and we need to work in this way,” Sergio Lobera signed off.