Delhi Dynamos FC take on FC Goa in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 on Wednesday. The Lions, who have had a season of woes, have picked themselves up of late, and are unbeaten in their last two fixtures, the last of which resulted in a 1 – 0 at NorthEast United FC.

Though their hopes of making it to the semifinals are up in smoke, a win against the Gaurs will take them to the eighth position in the league standings, a welcome change after being rooted to the bottom for a long time. Addressing the media during the pre-match press conference was the Delhi’s head coach Miguel Angel Portugal, and he stated that his team had improved recently with the last two results being proof.

“We always played very well, but we ended up losing,” he said. “That is the problem for my team. But in the last two matches, we again played well, but managed to draw and win respectively. And I have confidence in all my players. The next few matches are like a final for us. And we want to win all the matches.”

Portugal further explained: “When we played during the first part of the season, a few of the players understood the philosophy. But now, I think we have improved very much. Now, the team is more confident.”

The Spaniard also mentioned that he was looking for nothing less than a win against the Gaurs. “I know it is a very important match for them (Goa), but for me, the most important thing is a win,” he remarked. “We have to win for our president, because he has endured a bad season and I want him to be happy. And for that, we need to win.”

Romeo Fernanades had played his previous seasons in the Hero ISL with his home side Goa, but had to make a switch to Delhi this time after the team from the capital city roped him at the Player’s Draft. Potugal was quick to indicate that he was one player who had vastly improved since the initial phase.

“When Romeo started off with us, his performance was not up to the mark, and he was not a regular,” he stated. “But now, he is a regular player in the team and has improved a lot. I have a lot of confidence in him, and he is a very important player for our team.”

The 62-year-old was also bemused at the set of fixtures ahead of his team, and he wrapped up by saying, “We play the next four matches in 10 days. So, I need to keep changing my players. I don’t understand the league programme, but for me, I need to change the players. It is impossible for one player to play four matches in 10 days.”