Josep Gombau: Manuel Onwu showed the young players how to play

The Spaniard was happy with the support received from the fans.

Odisha FC concluded their inaugural Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) campaign with a thrilling 4-4 draw against Kerala Blasters FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. The point took the club’s tally in Hero ISL 2019-20 to 25 points from 18 matches, as they ended their campaign on the sixth position in the table. In an exclusive post-match interview, Odisha head coach Josep Gombau summarized his team’s season. He said, “For me, it was very positive. It was the beginning of something nice for the club. I think that, we had a lot of difficulties. First nine games away (from our designated home ground). It is difficult. After we came here at Bhubaneswar, we played six games and won four. I think that, with a lot of young players, we played good football. We were fighting until the very end for the semi-finals. I am very happy as a coach. I am proud of this.” [KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Elaborating on the club’s youth-first philosophy, the Spaniard opined, “As a club, we have this philosophy. We are signing a lot of young players and we aim to develop them. We are not a club that signs experienced players. As a coach, I like to work with young players. Shubham (Sarangi), an 18-year-old boy that played all the games as a full-back. Gaurav Bora played 10 games. Vinit (Rai) is also young, Jerry (Mawihmingthanga) is also young. This is something that is important for me as a coach.” Gombau also shared his delight at the performances of Manuel Onwu, who scored a hat-trick on the night, and stated, “Onwu was excellent. I know him from before. I saw that he is a good player. Aridane Santana’s injury was a bit loss for us. He was excellent and not just on the pitch, but also outside it. Manuel showed the young players how to play. He was a good character. Onwu and Aridane are the type of strikers that I like. I am so happy with Onwu. He is a very good guy.” [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] Lastly, Josep Gombau appreciated the support his team received from the home fans since moving to Odisha. He commented, “We are enjoying a lot. The fans are treating us very well. I know that for the next season, the facilities will be better. The good thing is the fans. Every game we had good base of fans coming to support us. As a coach, as a player, you like to play in front of people.”