They were placed at the bottom of the table last season. But NorthEast United FC have made quite a few changes to their squad for Hero Indian Super League 2015, beginning from their head coach Cesar Farias. The former Venezuela U-20 national team coach will be making his debut as a part of the Assam-based team this season.

Ahead of his side’s opening encounter against Kerala Blasters FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Tuesday, Farias commented on feeling the pressure despite the ‘no-relegation’ clause. “Pressure is something that stresses everyone. Our players and staff know how to handle this and adapt to different situations. We have come here to win and not to walk around, and we'll ensure we do our best,” the Venezuelan said.

Farias rued the fact that Simao Sabrosa, their marquee signing, will miss the first two games on account of injury. But he seemed quite confident going up against Kerala Blasters FC. “We know they have [Kerala] great players, we know they have a great coaching side. But, we are here to develop our skills and to build characters who can control the game.”

Given NorthEast’s performance in 2014, a fresh approach is what’s needed. Farias plans to take it slow. “I wouldn't want to comment on the last season, but we have watched every video and we're training hard to reach the playoffs [semi-finals] and later, once we reach the playoffs, we’ll be thinking about the final.”

Also taking a few questions from the media was Diomansy Kamara, one of the team’s new recruits – a striker who has spent several years playing in the English Premier League. “This is my first season and I expect to do well not only personally but along with my team-mates as well,” said the Paris-born Senegal international.

”Last season, we finished last but this season [we] can change [that]. We’re working hard to ensure that we can compete with anyone this season.”

When quizzed on how he rated the local players in the side, Kamara replied: “Nothing new that they have a lot of qualities in them but with the coaches working with them throughout, you will be surprised to see how much they've improved!”