It was a tactical decision not to start with Malouda-Zambrotta

The Delhi Dynamos boss spoke after his side’s 1-1 draw with league leaders NorthEast United FC.

Delhi Dynamos were held to a 1-1 draw at home by league leaders NorthEast United FC in the Indian Super League on Saturday night. But, speaking after the game manager Gianluca Zambrotta said he was happy with his side’s performance. Marquee winger F;orent Malouda once again started on the bench for the second time in three games, after having started in every match last season and the Italian said the decision to not start with the winger was a tactical one. “Last year is last year. This year is very different. The decision with Malouda was a tactical one. Malouda is an important player for us, It was a tactical decision. There’s no injury,” he assured. The clash was a free-flowing affair that saw many chances for both teams. However, it also saw six yellow cards and when asked about the performance of the referee Zambrotta said he had no qualms about the officiating. Dynamos frontman Richard Gadze came in for some criticism after missing a few sitters on the night but the manager said he was pleased with the striker’s outing. The former World Cup-winner was accompanied by goalkeeper Toni Doblas who returned to the starting line-up after being subbed off against Kerala Blasters with a facial injury. The shot-stopper reaffirmed the feeling that this was the best game of the season so far. “The difference today was the opponent. Today’s opponents were NorthEast United. They are the league leaders. They are a solid team, a good team with good players. Foreign players, but the Indian players are also very good in this team. I think this performance is the best so far in the ISL because it was very physical. Good chances. Good saves and even for the fans, the supporters who watch the team on the TV, for me it was the best at the moment,” the Spaniard declared emphatically. Zambrotta concluded by saying that his team had played against the best team in the league so far this season and that he was very happy with the result. Photo © ISL Media [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]