NorthEast United FC last week confirmed the appointment of Brazilian Sergio Farias as their head coach for Season 3 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL). The 48-year-old will bring overseas pedigree and a winning mentality to the Highlanders who have missed out on qualification to the semi-finals narrowly in the past two seasons. The former Clube Atlético Juventus manager and winner of the AFC Champions League with South Korean outfit Pohang Steelers spoke to indiansuperleague.com in an exclusive interview in the build-up to Hero ISL Season 3 and discussed his expectations and the challenges ahead. Here are the excerpts.You’ve spent a long time in the Asian footballing circuit. What are your thoughts on the ISL and the level of play on display?I have not seen much of the ISL but what I know is that it is like football everywhere. We will try to give our best and everything for the team and help football grow in India.NorthEast United FC have narrowly missed out on semi-final qualification in the last two seasons. What are your expectations from the upcoming season?It’s not only about my expectations, it’s also about the owners’, fans’ and all the people’s involved in the process. So I’m hoping to see us qualify for the semis this year.Tell us more about your footballing philosophy.My philosophy is balanced football. When you have the power and the technique together and are offensive, then you will win the game.What sort of players are you looking to add to the squad?I’m looking for players who come with tiger eyes, who look hungry to help the Indian players, to teach them, and learn with them and to bring all the qualities that they have to help us reach the semi-finals.NorthEast United have a very devoted fan base, do you have any messages for them ahead of the new season?We hope that they come to the ground and this year will be different than the previous two years. This year the dream comes true. You cannot have a big club without big support and NorthEast already have good support. We have to produce results now.
