Changes were impactful, asserts MCFC coach Des Buckingham

Published at :October 10, 2022 at 5:58 AM

Modified at :December 13, 2023 at 1:01 PM

(Courtesy : ISL Media)

The head coach also praised the travelling fans.

Mumbai City FC head coach Des Buckingham hailed his squad depth and spoke highly of the club’s fans as the team played out a 3-3 draw against Hyderabad FC in their opening game of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season. Joao Victor bagged a brace whereas Halicharan Narzary notched a goal too for Hyderabad.

Chinglensana Singh’s own goal put Mumbai ahead in the game as Greg Stewart and Alberto Noguera netted once each in the second-half to cap off an entertaining encounter. Here are the excerpts from Des Buckingham’s interaction with the media personnel at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex on Sunday.

Thoughts on the match

The 37-year-old appeared to be content with the result as he appreciated Hyderabad’s quality and his own side’s character to spark a comeback in the match.

“I think for the neutral, for the fans watching back home, it was a six-goal thriller. I don’t think for the coaches, Manolo and myself. As a coach, the heart rate may have gone a little bit high. No, I am very happy. It’s the first game of the season. We played against a very good team with some wonderful players and a wonderful coach as I spoke about before and we are away from home,” Buckingham said.

He added, “So, playing against the champions and to come away with a point, I am very happy. There’s a lot to work on, to put ourselves in better positions especially when we are at the front. But the character and the way the team came back, especially towards the end, we finished very strong.”

On the squad depth

Lalengmawia Ralte’s erratic foul handed Hyderabad a spot-kick that helped them level the score right before the half-time. Des Buckingham believed that the momentum shifted at that point of the game as the Islanders didn’t really get enough time to immediately respond to that equalizer.

“I think the penalty just before half-time; it changes the momentum. I think it got into their start of the second-half because there is no opportunity to respond to that before the first half finishes. But yeah we have got Diaz; this was his first game after four weeks so we have got some good minutes into him,” the tactician mentioned.

The midfield duo of Ahmed Jahouh and Noguera had a critical impact after coming on in the 57th minute as they contributed in Mumbai's last two goals to secure a point for the Islanders.

“And then the most important thing was the changes that we made. They came out and had a very good impact. I spoke before the game about the whole squad and how important the whole squad was going to be to make sure that we could effect change, goals and otherwise. And that’s been the case tonight. So, I am very happy with those players who certainly have come on and had the impact,” he further elaborated on the influence that his substitutes had on the final outcome.

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On away fans and next match

The Islanders will play their next match against Odisha FC at the Mumbai Football Arena on the coming Saturday. The head coach detailed his team’s plans of preparing for the match which will be their first home game after February 2020.

“We will get back to our hotel, three hours away from here. We will rest and recover first. I will bring my heart rate down a little bit more. But we have got some time to try and build on for what will be our first home game in Mumbai, in front of our own fans, against Odisha next weekend,” he said.

Des Buckingham was all praise for the travelling fans, who according to him, created an incredible atmosphere in an altogether neutral venue.

The 37-year-old said, “Just a special mention to those fans who did travel up tonight. They did not stop singing, chanting and creating a wonderful atmosphere along with Hyderabad fans for a game here in Pune which is away for both them and us. But we have been very well looked after since we have been here. But to have the fans back in and to have a six-goal thriller for them, I am sure was very enjoyable.”

Getting back at the Mumbai Arena

Buckingham was optimistic that his side’s brand of football will align with the fans’ expectations. He asserted that the team will be working to tighten up the backline in order to ensure that they do not give away as many goals as they did against Hyderabad. But, he sounded positive of what his team has to offer to the West Coast Brigade and other supporters of Mumbai City FC this year.

“I think Greg Stewart mentioned that football without fans isn’t really football. They want to turn up and see goals. They want to turn up and see exciting football the same way that we try to play. I think we have certainly put that out to them tonight. We will do our best to tidy up the other end and not concede three,” he said.

“But we can’t wait to get back to the Mumbai Arena next weekend against Odisha. But if we could just add for those who travelled up here tonight, I think there were 300-400 fans who made that trip in the end. We will be doing our best to put on a performance again and come away with three points this time,” Des Buckingham signed off.