The international break helped players rest, fix mistakes and get better, says Penn Orji

SHILLONG LAJONG midfield lynchpin Penn Orji said that the international break has helped his team a lot to return to the drawing board and address their mistakes in order to turn their I-League campaign around.

Speaking ahead of the all-important North-East Derby, Orji said, 

"A part of our job is to watch ourselves play. In that regard this international break has helped us a lot, we got to spend a lot of time with the videos, analysing our mistakes in video sessions."

The former East Bengal medio said that the practice has been fruitful; the team has identified multiple areas where they can improve,

"We also took the positives from the last 11 games and pooled them together. I think the coach has instructed us well on our individual performances and how to better that, and that is a positive point."

He also said that the international break has given the players the much needed time to recuperate, shake off injuries and get back on track,

"The break has also given us the time for our players who have been struggling with injuries to get fit and be available for selection. And the training... it has been awesome. The energy has increased. Our confidence level has also gone up. And we have to show that in the match against Aizawl FC."

Talking about Aizawl FC, Penn said that he respected the club for its quality, and would have to remain extra vigilant to avoid any mistake during the Derby game,

"Aizawl FC have displayed some great quality. And that's a good credit for a newly promoted side. But football is a season-long game, and we'll have strategies made for that. We don't want to target anybody in particular, because in football even the unlikeliest player can deliver a big blow. I'll just remain fully alert and go after the game with our game-plan."