Odisha FC head coach Josep Gombau was delighted with his team's performance and felt they deserved more than a single point as the Juggernauts played out a goalless draw against ATK Mohun Bagan, at the Kalinga Stadium, in Bhubaneswar, on Thursday in the latest fixture of Hero Indian Super League (ISL).

The result means saw Odisha FC continue their unbeaten record at home. The Juggernauts climb to the fourth spot on the Hero ISL points table and sit three points shy of the league leaders Hyderabad FC.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Gombau thanked the fans for their continuous support and mentioned his team feel  comfortable playing at home and that fans bring energy and confidence to the team. The Spaniard also applauded the his entire team for their performance and felt they were unfornature for not being able to win the game.  

Here are the excerpts from Gombau’s press conference:

How was the team's experience with playing at home?

Very good, as always. We are so happy here, we feel so comfortable with the support of the fans. For us, it's a very good venue and we like to play at home. Unlucky today that we couldn't get the three points because the people who came to the stadium deserved that we win and share the win with them.

There were more than seven thousand fans cheering for the team. How was the team's response to the support?

Excellent, we are very comfortable here. We would like to thank the supporters for the energy that they bring because the team needs that to achieve the objectives, we are so grateful. I hope when we play the next home game in January the fans come and we will need the support.

Two important players (Nandhakumar Sekar and Saul Crespo) were missing today, do you think that had an impact on the team?

No, we have a big squad and obviously, you don't like it as a coach when you are missing a player. As a coach you like to have all the players available but the players that we have are ready to play and I'm happy with the performance of the team and I think we did very well.

Are you happy with one point because the team created chances in the attack?

I think we did very well. We had more chances than the opponent team and we deserved more than a point. I'm happy with the game that we played. If we would've won I would be more happy but I can't say nothing to any of our players. I think we deserved to win today.

In which areas do you think the team was lacking against ATK Mohun Bagan?

No, I don't think the team is lacking anything. If we had scored the goal then it'd meant we did well. We created the chances, we scored the goal which was disallowed and then hit the crossbar in the last minute, it was a clear chance. The team defended well as we kept a clean sheet. I told my players, it's football, you cannot win every game.

The opposition team is also trying to make things harder for us and ATK Mohun Bagan is a very good squad and they have a very good coach. In the particular battle today we deserved more than them but they are a very good team. I am satisfied. I cannot say that it wasn't good or that it wasn't proper. Of course, when I watch the match tomorrow, I'll find the things to improve and the topics we need to address but right now I'm in the mindset that we did well.

Another strong performance at the home and the unbeaten streak continues. What are your takeaways from the game and how are you going to prepare for the away tough fixture against Kerala Blasters FC?

In this league, every match is a tough fixture. Of Course, when we are playing at home we have an advantage because we are playing in front of our fans and also, we feel so comfortable in our stadium. When you play away it's more difficult, going to Kochi is a good challenge. They are a good team with a fantastic stadium and a big environment and that's something, as a coach and as a footballer it's your dream.

As a coach, when you go to a Stadium like Kochi and play this kind of game and now for the next match we have a break, on December 26th, we have 11 days to prepare for the game. We approach the game with the intent to win. You can see today as well, we were attacking till the final whistle, in a game you either win or lose. Last week against FC Goa, we were attacking even with a man down and we tried to score. We are a team who goes to win and does not sit back and try to draw, we try to win always.

What are your views on the standout performance by Narender Gahlot?

He did so well, not just today but from the last three games since he has been playing in this position (right back). The first game for him it was a new position and he struggled a bit. We brought trust and confidence in him and we are working with him. He is a guy who has a big potential playing as a centre-back and as a right-back. We are using him more as a right back because the team needs him now, and we lost Shubham (Sarangi) to a long injury when we played Bengaluru FC here at home. He took this opportunity and we are very happy with him.

What are your views on the brilliant performance of your defence against a lethal team like ATK Mohun Bagan?

They did very well but the whole team did a good job. The defence is doing well but we are pressing a lot with strikers and the midfield line did fantastic today with Thoiba (Singh) and Raynier (Fernandes). Today not just one player but the whole team performed well and I want to congratulate them and tell them they need to keep working like this because if we continue like this we can do something nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related tags:

Odisha FC2022-2023 Match 51,Odisha FC vs ATK Mohun Bagan