Mumbai City FC coach Des Buckingham urged his players to keep being sharp in their play as they take on Jamshedpur FC in match 67 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 season at Athletic Stadium, Bambolim on Thursday.

Mumbai City FC are fifth in the points table with 25 points in 15 matches. They are level on points with Jamshedpur FC, having played a game less than them. MCFC are unbeaten in their last four matches.

Mumbai City FC won 4-1 against Odisha FC in their last match. A brace each from Bipin Singh and Igor Angulo baged the three points for them. They had four shots on target out of 10, all of which resulted in goals.

Ahead of Mumbai City FC’s match against Jamshedpur FC, coach Buckingham addressed the media during the official pre-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the press conference.

Angulo, Cassio and Bipin combined and performed really well, how happy are you with those three?

Yeah, I think they are starting to show real understanding and linkage. The more consistent you can put a starting team out, you know we had put out the same starting eleven as the last game for the first time, that allows consistency in not just team selection but also with the relationships between the players. I think that’s what you’re starting to see now, a bit more familiarity with each other and a bit more consistency with our playing style. I thought the way they linked together in the last game in particular was really enjoyable to watch from the sideline.

MCFC is now four games unbeaten, the defence is looking solid. What are the aspects you would like to improve on?

I think we are coming into the back half of the season in a position where we wanted, which was amongst the top four or five. We just want to keep being sharp in our play. It’s important that we continue on the momentum we have built over the past four games.

How will your team prepare for this match considering Jamshedpur FC and Mumbai City FC are level on points?

The main thing is to just concentrate on the next game. We want more from our players. We want more from our playing style. It will be a tough challenge. I think defensively we have tightened up in the last couple of games. Defensive side is important because It gives us the opportunity to build our playing style into the game.

Do you think putting Mehtab Singh in the centre-back position and Rahul Bheke in the right-back position has brought more balance to the side?

Yeah it’s funny isn’t it! Amey has played well all season. But we had to rearrange the backline with the suspension he picked up. Rahul has played at right-back previously. It allowed an opportunity for Mehtab to come into the side. He has been very patient. And as backline they have played very well together so we have kept it the same in the last two games. Whether or not we change it, Mehtab has shown he’s certainly capable of playing at this level consistently. And Rahul has shown he’s capable of playing at right-back the way we would like him to.