Mumbai City FC marquee player-cum-coach Nicolas Anelka was a disappointed man following his team’s 1-1 draw in their 2015 Hero Indian Super League match against Delhi Dynamos FC on Friday evening.After Frederic Piquionne put Mumbai ahead in the 70th minute at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, the visitors were heading towards a win when Robin Singh, seconds before the referee’s whistle, used his left foot to good effect and got the equalizer, capitilising on an error from Mumbai defender Lalchummawia Fanai.“We came here to win. We conceded a goal in the last minute. It’s obviously a big disappointment. Obviously, part of the game [at the same time],” Anelka told reporters after the game.“I think we should have won. I won’t say I am not happy with a draw but we need to keep going. We have a game at home [vs FC Pune City on Friday] and let’s try to win the game.”Anelka admitted his team went into the match with a defensive approach and explained his tactics. “It was a tactical choice. If you look at the goal, it’s a mistake. It’s part of the game. The tactic today was defensive. We didn’t have the ball much. We wanted to play on the counter-attack, that’s how we set up,” he said.“The tactic worked well. We wanted to get back to Mumbai with our first away win. I told them to stay compact and play on the counter. I think it worked well. It’s a shame [not to get all three points],” he added.Mumbai now will have to release Sunil Chhetri (one game) and Sony Norde (two games) as both players will be needed by India and Haiti respectively for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Anelka, who has started just once this season, said that in their absence he was ready to step into the breach.“I need some minutes. That’s why I played the last game [against ATK]. I need to work this week because I am not fit enough yet. And after maybe 2-3 games, I will play. But definitely you will see more of me.”
