Teamwork is important to get three points: Alison Kharsyntiew

NorthEast United will take the field against Chennaiyin FC on November 19.

NorthEast United will take the field against Chennaiyin FC on Monday, November 19. The Highlanders showcased a goalless draw against Kerala Blasters last week and will be keen to bounce back. They haven’t had the best of starts, as they’re yet to register the first win of the campaign. 

Ahead of the clash, NorthEast United’s assistant coach Alison Kharsyntiew and skipper Hernan Santana spoke to media about their thoughts going into their third fixture.

Thoughts on Chennaiyin FC

The Marina Machans kick-started their campaign in style with a 0-1 victory against Hyderabad FC in their previous fixture. Alison is well aware of how good Chennaiyin FC are tactically and defensively. He shared his thoughts on them and said, “Chennai is a very good team. They’re tactically very disciplined, defensively very compact. So, we have to keep the ball well and create chances.

“If we want to win, we have to create more chances and take more shots on goals. It’ll be a very tough match for us, but I’m sure the players are ready and they’ll give their 100%,” Alison Kharsyntiew further added.

Reflections on previous game 

The Highlanders were held to a goalless draw against the Yellow Army. They did not create many chances and also looked disjointed in attack. Sharing his thoughts on the previous game, the assistant coach mentioned that they need to start creating more chances.

“We’re satisfied with the one point we got because this one point will give us the drive and motivation to go forward. We didn’t concede a goal, which is a positive thing and creating chances is all we need to do,” Alison Kharsyntiew opined.

Team News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-69qrfcKdVo

The assistant coach gave us an update on Federico Gallego, Deshorn Brown, Imran Khan and Emanuel lalchhanchhuaha. He said that everyone is fine and Imran will join group training in the next 5-6 days.

“Everyone is fine. Imran is doing is rehabilitation program and in five days he’ll be back in training. Deshorn Brown is with the medical team now and they’re doing their best for his speedy recovery.

“Emanuel is still with the medical team and we’ll update you if there’s any news,” Alison Kharsyntiew further added.

Federico Gallego’s absence

NorthEast United’s main man Federico Gallego is yet to make an appearance for them. He has missed the first two matches due to an injury and is expected to start against Chennaiyin. His absence in midfield has affected the Highlanders, but Alison Kharsyntiew said that it doesn’t depend on one player.

“Gallego is good player and we know that he can make a lot of difference. But, in NorthEast we don’t think about individual players, we think more as a team.

“If you work together as a team, then we’ll get good results. Gallego is now ready and 100% fit. But, we also have other players like Mathias, William, Suhair, Mapuia who’ve done well in the last game. So, teamwork is very important if we want to get the three points,” Alison Kharsyntiew concluded.

Playing for NorthEast United

Spaniard Hernan Santana made a big move from Mumbai City FC to NorthEast United during the summer. When quizzed about how has it been playing for the Highlanders, Santana mentioned that he’ll try to repeat his heroics from last season with his new team.

“It has been good as it is a new challenge for me. Last season was amazing and I’ll try repeat the same with my new team. It’s difficult because we have a lot junior players who are playing their first season in the ISL.

We’re trying to improve a lot of things quickly and we’re a doing a good job to take a step forward. Every match we want to fight and do a good job for the three points,” Alison Kharsyntiew elaborated.

Role in team

Santana is one of the most experienced players in NorthEast United’s setup. He has plied majority of his career in Spain. When asked about his role in the team, he said that he’s trying to help the youngsters with his experience.

“I’m trying to put my experience on the team and I think this is my job. I played a lot of years in Spain and I’ve a good experience about this. So, I’m just trying to put my experience on them to learn quickly,” Alison Kharsyntiew explained.

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