Zico: FC Goa shouldn't have participated in this edition of ISL; Zambrotta: Going step-by-step is the motto

EVEN AFTER A THUMPING VICTORY are not assured of a semi-final spot yet. Both Coaches spoke to the media post the match. Zambrotta, The Dynamos Coach, was critical of the team for scoring just one goal in the first half but praised them for an outstanding second.

The Italian said to the reporters,

“I didn’t like the game today in the first half as we weren’t able to change the rhythm and I was not happy about that. I was very happy about the second half as we maintained a very good rhythm, good pressure and possession to play well”

Zico , the FC Goa Coach, speaking to the press on the loss and the disappointing season so far said,

“I said in the beginning of the league that Goa shouldn't have participated this year because when all other teams were preparing themselves, we were facing trials because of last year's fines. So when we started our season the first thing that we looked at was who all we can keep from last year's team so that we can continue further but by that time so many players who we wanted to keep had already signed for other teams, and by the time we got the green signal from the authorities that we could sign players, it had to be done in the last minute”

The Brazilian continued,

“Also, if there weren't bad decisions from the referees in crucial games in the beginning of the season, things would have been much better and we could probably have been there in the top 4. Due to the fact that we couldn't pick our choice of players we had to pick some players who had injury problems, so instead of starting with them we had to make them recover first and then play. So if we're going to start a season in a bad way, it's going to end in a bad way. But this is part of football and we have to pick good lessons from it, so that we can start new and fresh for the next season and do well.”

Dynamos Head Coach was not getting carried away with the impressive performance as a semi-final berth was not assured yet. Going further on the topic he said,

“Unfortunately, we haven’t reached the semi-finals as yet. So we have to focus on our next game, which is against a very difficult team, and for this reason it’s very important to plan step by step. We have a trip tomorrow and we have two days for the next game and we need to look at our players’ conditions and recovery and as of now I haven’t planned anything tactical for the match against NorthEast.” 

Speaking about Goa's performance against a high-flying Delhi last night, Zico said,

"It was a difficult situation for the team. Our team was very tired from the game against Kolkata , so we had to put in a fresh team to play. It was only after three days and the players weren't able to play together since it was their first time in the formation. Delhi is a very good team, very compact; they know how to play their game. In the first half, we held them but in the second they found their way. The other thing is that when there is a motivation factor you play in a certain way, like if the team is in the hunt for the semis… We had nothing like that going for us so that also played a role” 

The hat-trick hero of the match Marcelinho accompanied Zambrotta at the press conference. Talking about how he felt being the leading scorer of the season shared,

“I’m very happy in the position I play and it is very important for me that the whole team plays together and works together. We work hard under the head coach and we hope to give good performances and win in the future” 

Marcelinho was asked to share his experience in playing against the Brazilian legend Zico, he said,

“For me it’s really unbelievable. I’m very happy to score and help my team. I need to keep it going for my team first and then my fans. I’m a very big fan of Zico and I wish the best for him. He’s a very nice coach. He experiments to solve the problems for everyone. If he couldn’t fix the season he tried to solve the problems, so that the next season could be better.”

FC Goa Coach, was posed a question if he thought Delhi was the best side in the current edition of the league and he replied,

“I think there is a lot of balance in this league. We can see by the results. You can see the team at the top is Mumbai City FC, the only team we didn't lose to. Some matches we could have drawn and some we could have won, so I don't think Delhi are the best. All teams are equal,” 

Sharing his thoughts if he felt Indian players are reaching the levels of foriegn players in the league, Zico said he doesn't feel so and continued saying,

“I regret to say that in these three years not a lot of Indian players have played. Foreigners have been given more opportunities, so Indian players haven't got a lot chances and they haven't developed as much, hence they can't be compared with the foreign players.I think this year there are two good Indian players, Kean Lewis and Rowllin Borges. And all other players are playing well like they did in the previous seasons. We don't have to mention them, they're playing for their national team but there is not a lot of difference in the national team as well, so we need to see more development in the Indian players, so that we can see more Indian players and fewer foreign players."

Being one of the coaches who has coached players and teams in many countries, Zico explained why Indian players are not developing and what is needed to overcome this problem saying,

“So I spoke to some players from Bengaluru FC, who played against the Iraq team. The Iraqi team had five players trained by me. So these Bengaluru players said there was a lot of difference between the Iraqi players and them mentally and physically and it was difficult for them to play against them… When you play with a lot of foreign players, you suffer when you play against teams from Iraq and the UAE, where football is more developed. That's why we need to focus more on Indian players. We need to play 8-9 Indian players consistently and then you can ask me if they have developed. I don't like to say all this because I don't want to lie to you and just make you happy. I've not come here to please everyone. I understand football and I want to see it grow.”

Next fixtures
FC Goa host Chennaiyin FC on December 1.
Delhi Dynamos travel to Guwahati to play NorthEast United FC on November 30.

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