After achieving a club milestone in Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18, where they reached the playoffs for the first time in their history, FC Pune City will be hoping to go a step further in 2018-19 and win the title.

At the final Hero ISL Media Day event held in Mumbai, indiansuperleague.com caught up with new head coach Miguel Portugal, alongside star striker Emiliano Alfaro and midfield mainstay Adil Ahmed Khan to uncover their thoughts prior to the season.

All eyes on winning

This will be Portugal’s second Hero ISL season, having headed affairs at Delhi Dynamos last season. Though the Lions had a disappointing 2017-18 season, the Spaniard was able to bring them up from the initial slump and end the season on a six-match unbeaten streak - a form he would like to carry in the new season for the Stallions.

He will be returning to Delhi for Pune’s first match of the season and when asked about how he was looking forward to it, he said, “I was very happy in Delhi, but now, Delhi is my opponent. This match will be like any opponent. I’m a former Delhi head coach and I felt good in Delhi, but they’re my opponents and I want to win.”

Portugal also went on to appreciate the brand of football the Stallions played last season. “FC Pune City in the last season played more direct football. For me, I liked the way they played football. I liked their possession football, their ball possession and that they give their all in attack. It’s different. For me, it's more important that the player understands this philosophy,” he voiced.

Working hard is the key

Alfaro had a brilliant 2017-18 season, where he scored 9 times, assisted twice and alongside Marcelinho, built one of the most lethal attacking partnerships in the league. After deciding to extend his contract by another year, the Uruguayan shared his expectations from the upcoming season, “I want and I hope (that we can go a step further this time), but to do that you have to work every day. You have to play each game like you are playing your last game. Of course, our objective is to reach the semi-finals first. For that, you have to work hard everyday and let’s see what happens in the future.”

With most of the star players retained from last season, Alfaro also spoke about the current squad in place. “I think if you see the names that we have – we have a very good team. But of course, after that, you have to show it on the pitch. It’s not only about the names or about what you give, but about what you have to do. In my opinion, yes, we have good names, but we have to show that on the pitch and give our best for the team,” he said.

A great season on the cards

Even Adil Khan ended up having a stellar 2017-18 season, where the defensive midfielder not only featured in 18 matches for the Stallions, but also scored four times. On being asked his personal objectives for the new season, he replied, “It was a great season for me last year and I would like to do the same thing that I did last year. We are working hard, I am working hard for it. If not better than last season, I will try to give the same performance this year.”

The 30-year-old also spoke about the club’s objectives and what the fans can expect from them this season. “We are looking forward to having a great season again. Last year, we made it to the semi-finals after three seasons where we did a great job. This year as well, we are looking forward to getting into the semi-finals and hoping to play in the final for the fans and the club especially, who are working hard and we want to give them a smiley face. We will try to get good results this year,” he concluded.

The Stallions begin their season campaign against Delhi Dynamos FC at the capital on October 3.