Stuart Baxter: Would like to see improvements in the squad a bit quicker

Published at :January 3, 2021 at 6:51 AM

Modified at :January 4, 2021 at 5:15 PM

Odisha FC gaffer was joined by Arshdeep Singh and both answered tough questions ahead of a crucial game.

Odisha FC are yet to win their first game of the season in the Indian Super League 2020/21 season, having played seven and losing five of them. The outfit will now face fellow strugglers in SC East Bengal in their next fixture in the battle of the minnows. Speaking ahead of this crucial fixture, Stuart Baxter expressed his thoughts and answered some important questions in his media interaction.

On how has the long break helped the team in preparing against EB

“Well, we’ve needed a little bit of time together on the field. It hasn’t been a long break but it has been comparatively a long break. I think it's good and all the players will be better for it.” Stuart Baxter answered.

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On if playing teams like SCEB, KBFC and CFC will allow them to gain some points

Odisha FC’s early set of fixtures involved some tough games. Upon being asked whether their recent games are easier which will allow them a better chance to collect points, Baxter explained, “Most games are close affairs. It's a mistake if we think that we're suddenly going to blossom into a wonderful team because we are not playing against so called top teams.

“We have got the knife at our throats and so does East Bengal so I think it will be a big thing.”

On Arshdeep’s performances

Arshdeep Singh has been one of the best custodians in the league so far. Speaking on his recent performances, the 67-year-old said, “He’s done very well. I think the main thing is that he has shown consistency. We give him as much as information about the opponent as we can, and obviously he is a professional and he knows to look at that himself.

“At the end of the day you have to do your ABCs correctly, make sure you give that level of consistency and I think he’s done that very well.” the gaffer further added.

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On how the players are mentally coping with the fact that the club has no victories yet

Without a single victory to show for in the last seven games, Baxter was asked about the mood in the dressing room.

He responded by saying, “We have got two groups of players, we have got new foreigners settling into Indian football, we have got young players helping the younger players so even more experienced younger players are settling and they have got a different message from the coach.

“I have been very pleased with the fact that they approach every game believing that they can get a result, and if we continue to do that, then we can expect better results in the future.” Stuart Baxter opined.

On East Bengal’s performance and Robbie Fowler as a coach

Stuart Baxter was also asked about what his opinions were on their next opponents and fellow Englishman, Robbie Fowler as a coach. He expressed in this context by saying, “They have a very new team who need time on the field. Their games have been close games, they have played well in periods of games, same as we have and they will be looking for that consistency same as we are. I don’t know Robbie that well as a coach but the job that he’s doing under the sort of constraints, he is the same as us, we would both like to see improvements a little bit quicker.”

Arshdeep on his own performances in the league so far

Arshdeep Singh also joined the gaffer and spoke his mind ahead of the game against SCEB. He talked about his own performances too.

“I need to work on myself more, work on my mistakes. We are still looking forward to a win which is most important for our team,” he commented.

On coaching staff at Odisha and how has learning been different from last season

The custodian expressed gratitude to the current coaching staff. Thanking them for their efforts, he said, “Last season’s coaches were good. This season we have coach Stuart who is a very experienced coaches, one of the best in the league. We are learning a lot from him and his team, they give confidence to the younger ones and we are all working very hard. The tactics are very good. We just need to put on a good show.”

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On whether the competition with other experienced goalkeepers has helped him

The interaction concluded with Arshdeep sharing his feelings regarding the competition in the goalkeeping area of the squad.

He said, “Yes definitely, we have a very healthy competition in our goalkeeping department. Kamaljit and Ravi are very experienced and I am learning a lot from them in my training sessions and it's good to be in a healthy competition.”

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