FC Pune City take on Delhi Dynamos FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on Thursday. The Stallions head into the clash against Delhi second from bottom in the 2016 Hero Indian Super League standings having managed to register just one win and four goals from their five matches this season.Head coach, Antonio Habas, who made a return to the dugout in Pune’s last match following a four-match suspension believes his team’s slow start to the season can be put down to a complete overhaul of the squad. “We have a new team, 95% are new players. The problem is that the league is very short and we do not have any time to gel. But we have to work and score goals.” the Spaniard told the media on Wednesday.The 59-year-old has been a part of the Hero ISL since the inaugural edition and won the title with Atlético de Kolkata in 2014. While he admitted there has been a visible improvement in the quality of domestic players since Hero ISL 2014, Habas also called for referees to cut down on robust tackles. “I think that the general Indian player is improving but there must be improvement in controlling tackles. We might have a serious problem because it is not the same to play strong and play violent. And the referees here have the same treatment for a strong tackle and a violent tackle…we respect that the Indian players improve every day and we want competition but I feel there should be more control in this respect.” he said.Habas was also optimistic about his players showing signs of improvement and starting to play as a unit ahead their clash against the Lions. “I think that the Indian players are really competitive and getting better every day and the players from Europe, Americas and Africa is good for the ISL.” he said.Jonatan Lucca, who has been one of Pune’s most creative players this year accompanied Habas to the press conference. The Brazilian also echoed his head coach’s sentiments on domestic talent. “The Indian players get better every year and for the league its best that the Indian guys improve. Even the foreign players who come here make the league stronger.”When asked to describe the team spirit ahead of the Delhi clash, Lucca added: “The team as I said in the last interview, is good. I have respect for Delhi. Pune will try their best to win [tomorrow].”
