After two consecutive draws, Sergio Lobera’s FC Goa will be targeting nothing less than three points when they travel to face Mumbai City FC at the Mumbai Football Arena on Thursday. Lobera’s men started their season brightly, winning by a comfortable 3-0 margin against Chennaiyin FC. However, the following two matches have yielded just two points.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, the Spaniard evaluated his team’s start to the season. “The analysis is different in every match. In the first match, I am very happy with the performance of the team. We won the match in very difficult circumstances. In the second match, I feel we won one point.”

“In the last match, I think we lost two points because the start of that match was very good. I think the team created a lot of chances. I am not happy with the result of the last match because the game-management during the match was not good by us. And when you don’t score and concede from your own mistakes, it’s possible to draw or lose the match,” Lobera added.

The Gaurs didn’t have the greatest of nights on their last visit to the Mumbai Football Arena when they lost out in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 final to Bengaluru FC. Lobera, though, urged his players to focus on their semi-final triumph against Mumbai at the same venue last season instead, he said, “I prefer my players remember the semi-finals. It’s a good place because I think whenever we played in this stadium, we played well.”

“It’s true that it was not possible to win the final, but in the semi-final against (Mumbai), my team played very well. I think the past is past and it’s not possible to affect it. Every match is different. I think it will be a difficult match (against Mumbai) because we will be playing against a very good team. The past is not important for us.”

While expressing belief in his football philosophy, the 42-year-old stated, “We have our own idea about how it’s necessary to play. But in the match, it is possible in different circumstances to change some players or change the situation. I don’t think about changing the system in terms of numbers.”

“I change the different roles the players have in the same system. Depending on the situation until now, it’s not been possible for me to have the full squad. In the next match, it’s the same situation because (Seiminlen Doungel) cannot play. I am not happy with him. I told him about the situation in the last match. It’s not good for the team. It’s not good for the player. It’s not good for football. It’s not a good example for kids who watched the match.”

Midfielder, Hugo Boumous also attended the pre-match briefing and the Frenchman had no qualms in sharing his dissatisfaction after Goa only managed a point in their previous game. “It was not the most important thing for me to score a goal. The most important thing was to get the three points,” said the 24-year-old with reference to the goal he scored in the encounter against NorthEast United FC. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t get it. I agree with Sergio. I think there were a lot of chances and we should have got the three points. But sometimes, it’s not that easy.”