FC Goa marquee player and captain Robert Pirès tried hard to change the game as his side settled for a 1-1 draw against NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati tonight. The former French international winger-cum-attacking midfielder who is an Arsenal legend, later settled in for an exclusive interview with Indiansuperleague.com. Here are some excerpts:How are you coping with the physicality of the game?Well, that’s competition for you. In the last game against Chennaiyin FC, I received a lot of tackles and it was the same in this match, don’t worry, it’s just football. As you know, I played six seasons in England and you know the amount of competition over there so, I like the fighting, I like the passion that takes over you in football and it’s good for the atmosphere.Is the holding position something you’ve opted for due to age or is it something you prefer?Sometimes, it’s difficult for me because I’m 40, the weather is very hot but that’s not much of a problem but I play in the midfield so that I’m more free to play and see more of the ball. Sometimes, I do go ahead and try to score but now I prefer to sit back and pass the ball around and maintain possession. I still think that it’s important to move ahead towards goal and the most important thing in the midfield is the communication between partners."I think the project is very interesting for your country."Robert PirèsDo you think the Hero Indian Super League is a good move for Indian football? It’s good, but not for me. I say this because I’ve proven myself in the UK, France and Spain and for the national team, I’m just here to teach the Indian players. I think the project is very interesting for your country and the players and now look, everyone is talking about India and the ISL and I think it’s very good.What sort of confidence did getting your first point on the board give you?I believe the words of my teammates were that it was important to get the one point, but I think it was important to get the three points out of this match. For the next game, we’re up against the favourites, Atlético de Kolkata, they’ve been very good, strong and clinical but it’s football so anything is possible. We have a long trip back to Goa tomorrow and we need to win for our fans.
