Delhi Dynamos FC face Atlético de Kolkata in their final home game of the league phase on Tuesday, with hopes of being back at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for one more game – in the semifinals. Head coach Harm van Veldhoven is looking for nothing else than a win. “We are in the winning mood, and we have to win!” the Dutchman exclaimed. “We are playing better and better every game. As there are only three games left before the semifinals, we have to win and obtain the vital three points. We are currently two points behind the number four spot, where we would like to be,” van Veldhoven remarked at the pre-match press conference. In the midst of the determination to win, the Dynamos face difficulties with regards to injuries in the squad. The team is down two players who will not be fit to play the rest of the season. The coach declared, “Pavel Eliáš needs an operation on his shoulder and Wim Raymaekers is out for a few weeks. Further, we have a few problems with Robert Lalthlamuana and Bruno Herrero Arias who might not be able to play tomorrow. We are not happy about this situation but it is good to see other players standing up and filling in the positions.” Francis Fernandes and Henrique Dinis, who were also present at the conference, are among those players who, when given the opportunity by the coach, have stood up and lived up to the expectations. Fernandes has caught the eye with his performances during Delhi’s two wins, when the erstwhile winger has been deployed as a central forward. The Goa-born Fernandes credited his coach for helping him succeed in this position.“The coach told me how to play tactically and where to make the runs. I have also been playing a lot on the wings. I like to cross the ball and the coach gave me the confidence to do that.” Further, when asked about his feelings of starting the games ahead of marquee player and Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero, he humbly said, “It is up to the coach. He gave me a chance and I proved myself. ” Dinis, who has played different positions for the Dynamos so far, declared that he was comfortable playing for the team as a midfielder or centre back. “I used to play centre back when I was young. It is not the first time for me to play in that position. Later I started to play midfield. The coach is the one who chooses. It’s the same for me to play either position.” Van Veldhoven was noncommittal about whether marquee player Del Piero will feature against Kolkata, although he explained that the Italian had been laid low with a stomach problem. The head coach said, “Alessandro had a problem with his stomach. But now he is back and has trained with us in the past two days. He will be with the team tomorrow. ” Van Veldhoven is well aware of the physical strength of the Kolkata players and has thus prepared his players mentally and tactically on how to deal with it, “Kolkata is a very good and powerful team. But we also have our qualities. We know about their physical strength and this is one of the things we talked about with our players. Our players don’t have to play too much in the air; they have to keep the ball on the ground. Strong physical players don’t like that. With strong players it is essential to use our speed, and our players are smart enough to do that,” the Dutch gaffer explained.
