Longer season good for everyone, states Josep Gombau on return
Odisha FC will begin their campaign for the 22-23 season on 11th October against Jamshedpur FC.
Odisha FC will begin their ISL 22-23 season against Jamshedpur FC on Tuesday. Jamshedpur FC is last year's League Shield Winners and a formidable opponent. It is quite obvious that facing them on their home ground would not be an easy task. Before their first clash, Odisha FC head coach Josep Gombau and Nandhakumar Sekar addressed presspersons here in Jamshedpur.
Following are the excerpts from the press conference.
On facing League Shield WInners Jamshedpur FC in their home ground
When a pressperson asked whether it will be a challenging task to take on last year's League Shield Winners on their home turf, Gombau did not look much worried. He appeared to be calm and stated that his team is well-prepared for the challenge ahead. He said, "For us, the challenge is to play here against a very good side and last year's ISL league winners. But tomorrow we start a new competition. We are well prepared for the game. We are happy to be here, it is a nice place to be. Starting tomorrow, it will be full of reasonable challenges. It is a new season, we aim to start well and I think we are a very good team."
On pre-season preparation, the team's fitness level, and injury concerns, if any
In his reply to a question probing the physical condition of the team and their overall preseason training, the coach seemed quite relieved to state that the team does not have any serious injury concerns. The only player with an injury is Michael Soosairaj. This is what he said, "All but one players are available. Just one player has a minor injury after our last friendly game. We prepared well. We played in the Durand Cup. It wasn't a very good tournament for us. It was unorthodox to play 5 competitive games. We had time to prepare everything. As I have told before, time is needed by a team to be complete."
On playing in front of fans after 2 years
When asked about his reaction to playing in front of fans after 2 years, Gombau said, "I think it would be a very special experience for every single player to play in front of fans. Fans are a part of football. When I landed here, I enjoyed it a lot because people are very very respectful. Tomorrow it will be very special for all the players because they would feel again what it feels like to play in front of fans. I think it's good even for us even though we are playing away."
The coach's opinion on Indian football and its potential for future
While reacting to a question regarding the future of Indian football and its potential, the coach sounded very optimistic. He quoted, "Indian football is growing. There are more academies where more players are participating. These are all very good. It is also true that there is a very long way to go, to be strong potential in the world. But to be a strong country in football, the country needs to build more facilities for the kids to play games. I think the country's football is growing, but there is still a long way to go. It has got very good potential."
Reaction on having a longer football season this year
Gombau sounded very pleased with the new, longer format of the ISL. This was his reaction to having a longer season with multiple tournaments, "For sure, a longer season is good news as more time we spend around the field is better for everybody. We are having 9-10 months of competition and training, which is normal in all the other countries. As much time the players have it will be better for them. I think it is good for everybody for having the new format and also the Durand Cup and the Super Cup. It will be also good for the fans as they will have more football to watch."
On whether ISL should have relegation-promotion
When a pressperson asked whether ISL should have promotion-relegation, Gombau said that having promotion-relegation will definitely be beneficial for the league as a whole. But first, according to him, the league needs to expand and bring in more teams. He said, "If you ask my opinion first the league needs to grow. Once the league has 14, 15, or 16 teams, maybe to reach the top league we can have promotion and relegation. Even now I think the format is good. Maybe in the upcoming years, we will have relegation promotion, which is already in place in almost all other countries. But the current format is also successful in many countries, for example, the USA, where there is no promotion-relegation."
Nandhakumar Sekar on the team's preparation for the game and the season
When Odisha's player Nandhakumar was asked for his opinion regarding the team's preparation for the game and the season, he sounded satisfied and hungry at the same time. He said, "We have prepared well. We are very excited to meet the fans. In Jamshedpur, there are more fans. Everyone is very excited. Tomorrow is our first game. It is very important for us. Definitely, we will look to get 3 points from the game."
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