Eelco Schattorie content with draw, Josep Gombau complains about league schedule

The game saw the Highlanders coming back from behind to salvage a draw against The Lions.

NorthEast United took on Delhi Dynamos in a game which turned out to be a shocker for the hosts' fans in Guwahati. The Highlanders managed to earn a point, but did not make too much progress up the Indian Super League table. The goals came from Marcos Tebar in the 67th minute and Bartholomew Ogbeche in the 70th minute.

When asked how much of an effect the lack of depth in his squad had on the game, NorthEast United head coach Eelco Schattorie said, ”When we started this game, I was never afraid in a way that I am going to lose. 50% of any game is organization and structure. You look at the qualities you have and you try to find the best kind of balance."

 

 

 

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Watch: NorthEast United 1-1 Delhi Dynamos highlights

"For us, we have an issue, especially at the back. Mislav (Komorski) goes out and you lose a certain stability that you can’t replace right away," he added.

The Dutch tactician chose to start with Jose Leudo over Gurwinder Singh in defence, in the absence of first choice centre-half Komorski. The hosts were left to rue missed chances at the final whistle, as they often found excellent build-up play let down by the final ball or the lack of a clinical finish.

“You look at the number of chances we created then I think we do something well, but that last cross, that last little bit, there you lack some quality. But, I think it’s a very expensive point, to the positive. Very happy with a point," Schattorie said.

The head coach also addressed the controversy regarding the penalty that was scored by the league’s joint top scorer Bartholomew Ogbeche. “It was a soft penalty, I’ll be the first to admit that because otherwise, people will start nagging.”

Speaking about Dynamos' striker Daniel Lalhlimpuia the Dutchman said, “I was impressed with the Indian player they played as a striker. He was strong, smart in his movement.”

The head coach of Delhi, Josep Gombau expressed his satisfaction at the point his side earned away in Guwahati. “I think the result is fair. In the first half, we were on top of the game. After that, NorthEast took control of the game. We put the ball in the net once and NorthEast once so a draw is a fair result.”

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The Dynamos' manager also lauded the performance of Daniel Lalhlimpuia, much like his NEUFC counterpart. “Look, Daniel is a young player. He started the season with a big injury. Today wasn’t his first game, but I support him.”

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Gombau also spoke about the competitiveness of the league when asked about his impression of the league in his first season. “I am so happy to be here, I like the league. I think that the level is higher, much higher than what I expected when I came in the beginning.”

“The only thing I would complain about is the schedule of three games in one week, which is something very difficult. It is something that in the next year the ISL organization need to adjust better," Gombau signed off.