FC Pune City assistant coach Miguel has called for improvement from his players following their second home loss of the 2016 Hero Indian Super League at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium in Balewadi on Wednesday evening. The Stallions conceded a goal in the 79th minute to hand NorthEast United FC their third win in four matches.

Speaking to the media after the match, Miguel said: “We need to improve in all areas. I can’t say one area we need to improve in, we need to improve in many areas. But it is our job. We will work hard and we will improve.”

When NorthEast United lost Nirmal Chetrri due to a red card, Pune appeared to be in the driver’s seat, however, Eduardo Ferreira’s red-card in the 71st minute neutralised their advantage and then Emiliano Alfaro scored eight minutes later to add insult to injury. When asked if Ferreira’s red card was a little harsh, Miguel said: “No comments on that. The decision of the referee is over, it’s gone. These things happen on the field. I am not the right person to tell you if it was right or harsh.”

On a disappointing evening, Miguel, however, praised forward Dramane Traore, who played 20 minutes in the second half. “I agree, it was not the result that we wanted. We need to check the video tomorrow to get positives. Maybe right now the most positive thing I can think of is the performance of Traore,” he said.

Miguel also appeared satisfied with the performance of marquee player Mohamed Sissoko. “His performance was as good as it was in Goa. Today again he played well in both positions, in central midfield and centre back,” he said.

After their second defeat in three matches put them fifth in the league, Pune now wait for Kerala Blasters FC for another home game on Monday.