On the field only 11 players will be playing not the coach- Miguel Martinez Gonzalez

The Stallions were uninspiring in their defeat against rivals Mumbai in the first game…

Spanish coach Miguel Martinez Gonzalez will be in charge of FC Pune City in the absence of the head coach Antonio López Habas, when they face FC Goa tonight. Even after losing the first match against Mumbai City FC, assistant coach Miguel remains confident that they will open their account soon. “You have to understand that a majority of the players are new. It’s not easy to build a team like that. We need to play a few more games and the team will improve,” said Miguel. FC Pune City’s plans for the season went out of order after marquee Eidur Gudjohnsen picked up an injury during pre-season and was ruled out of the ISL. He has now been replaced by former Liverpool midfielder Mohamed Sissoko who will be available for selection. “Eidur’s injury impacted us. He is a leader, a big player and now we have another marquee. He is doing his role. He will play the next game and try to make up for Eidur’s absence,” said Miguel. When asked to comment on today’s opponents FC Goa, the Spaniard said he don’t like to talk about opponents. Head Coach Antonio Habas remains suspended for FC Pune City’s first four matches. But Miguel is prepared to face any task ahead in the absence of his compatriot. “We all knew that he cannot be on the bench for the first four matches, but on the field only 11 players will be playing, not the coach.” “Preparations for all the games are always the same. We approach every game to get the full points and be better than the opponents,” he concluded. The Pune side finished 7th in the last season with just 15 points from 14 league outings. The assistant coach Miguel will be under tremendous pressure as his side is yet to register a victory in their last 9 matches. Photo Courtesy: ISL Media