Robert Jarni: We have to be smart in the pitch against FC Goa

The NorthEast United boss also exclaimed that he will be trying to change his side's record against FC Goa on Friday evening.

Ahead of his side's next league game against FC Goa, NorthEast United head coach Robert Jarni attended the pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon.

The fact that NorthEast United haven’t enjoyed much success against FC Goa recently is itself a worrying factor. But Robert Jarni has a bullish approach on this and is not intimidated going into the game. The Croatian gave a short yet sweet response to this, “The stats are meant to be broken. So we’ll try to break this cycle (of negative results against FC Goa).”

[KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

FC Goa are known to be a vicious attacking side with quality players in the final third. When asked about whether he has any special plans to nullify their attack, Robert Jarni remarked, “Yes, of course, you have a plan for every game. But we won’t reveal our plan here. You’ll have to wait till tomorrow to see it on the pitch!”

When it came to discussing any potential injury problems in his side, Robert Jarni remained coy and didn’t want to give away any indications.

Thoughts On Injuries

“I don’t want to speak about that. We have a very good fitness coach in our side. We’re working very hard to make sure everyone is fit for a long time. But for the moment we have a fully fit squad available to play,” the 51-year-old quipped.

Robert Jarni is also unmoved by the prospect of facing off against FC Goa’s electric wingers and has a plan to contend their threat.

“I’ve played against strong teams with fast players in the past. But there’s always a plan to counter that. We have to be mentally strong and we have to concentrate 100% for the 90 minutes. We also have to be smart in the pitch to make things difficult for them,” he explained.

Thoughts On ISL fixtures

The ISL’s schedule which sees teams get little resting period before games has been a cause of concern for many coaches. But when asked about his opinion, the Croatian revealed one needs to know how to adapt to it.

“Normally we are used to play at the weekend in Europe. Here it’s very different, but I have the experience of being in India from last year so I’ve prepared to play multiple games in a week this time around," Jarni said.

“It’s different as you need to know how to prepare yourself properly. But we know how to prepare ourselves and we’ve embraced this change in order to help adapt to this calendar,” he further added.

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

Finally, Robert Jarni was questioned on whether the competitiveness of the ISL has been up to the standards which he thought it would before arriving in India. He explained, “See on TV it’s very simple to see the games. At home when you’re watching the game, it’s very simple to deduce and things don’t look so difficult."

“But once you’re on the pitch with the players and you see the opponents, it gets more difficult. The league has some very good players, including some talented foreigners and when you’re on the pitch, you realize how difficult it is to win games here,” he signed off.