Our determination is to win-Vingada

The Highlanders boss said his team will play for all three points against Chennai…

Nelo Vingada’s NorthEast United are currently sixth in the Indian Super League standings, but the Portuguese manager refuses to rule out their chances of securing playoffs qualification. The Highlanders play away at Marina Arena against defending champions Chennaiyin on Saturday night and their manager acknowledges the significance the bottom half-clash holds, as both teams are desperate for a win. Talking to the press ahead of the crunch clash, he said, “As I always say, the next game is always the most important and most difficult for me and my team, but it’s more than that this time because it’s a crucial game for both teams. Chennai has played one game more than us, but then, Chennai, Kerala and NorthEast all still have a chance to qualify. Only Mumbai is safe while the other teams are fighting for position.” Much akin to their opponents on Saturday, United have been unlucky at times as they have often failed to convert good performances into victories this season. Underlining the importance of results in football, he stated they would strive to emulate Chennai’s 1-0 win at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati in front of the Super Machans. “Regarding what happened in the last games, even when we lost a few games, the performances were not bad,” stated Vingada. “However, in football, only results matter. Tomorrow, our target is to play for the result – a result that can send us to a better and comfortable position to reach the target. Our wish is to win. It will be hard and difficult, but we can win like how Chennai won in Guwahati. Our determination is to win, respecting Chennai and respecting the team, who not only are still the champions but also have the same ambition as us. However, the way we are playing and our stability is better than few weeks ago, so I hope we can be the real NorthEast United. We need a very good performance because Chennai will play for a win.” Stressing upon his desperation for a win, the Portuguese manager stated that failing to win against Pune City last time out would have sounded the death knell for them. With just three games left, they cannot afford to lose points and he grasped that as he stated that he would even embrace an undeserved win. “Against Pune or any team, we have only two options – win or win. Even a draw could not mathematically put us out, but a draw against Pune would have been like a step back, so we won. To be honest, we’ve played better games that did not see us win. Against Pune, we played a so-so game, and we won. In Kolkata, we were much better than Kolkata, but we only drew. At Goa, we played much much better than them, but we lost. At Pune we were a little bit lucky although we had more chances, possession and shots, especially in the second half. Against Pune, my concentration was to win and it will be the same tomorrow as well. If we play bad and win, it’s okay,” he concluded. Photo © ISL Media