NorthEast United FC

Without a win in their first two games, NorthEast United FC’s assistant coach Alison Kharsyntiew believes there are many positives to be taken from the last game as the Highlanders prepare for their third game of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 season against Chennaiyin FC on Monday at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa.

Kharsyntiew highlighted his side’s lack of attacking threat in front of the goal and encouraged his players to create more chances to get the desired three points ahead of their upcoming game. Moreover, the Guwahati-based side haven’t beaten Chennaiyin FC over the last two seasons and will be expecting a turnaround this season with a win.

Ahead of Monday’s game, assistant coach Alison Kharyntiew along with skipper Hernan Santana greeted the media during a pre-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the assistant coach’s press conference:

You play Chennaiyin FC in your next game and they got a very good victory against Hyderabad FC. What are your views on your next match against them?

Alison: Chennaiyin is a very good team, they are tactically disciplined, their defending is quality too, very compact. So, we have to keep the ball well, create more chances because if we want to win the game we have to continue doing so and take more shots at goal. It will be a challenging match for us but I'm sure that the players are all ready, waiting for this game, and will give their 100%.

How would you reflect back on the last game?

Alison: We were satisfied with the one point in the last game because that one point will give us the motivation and the drive to go forward. The positive being, we didn’t concede a single goal in that match. We look forward to the search in our endgame by putting more effort into attacking.

Do you think the absence of Gallego [Federico] affects the entire team?

Alison: Yeah. Firstly, Gallego is a quality player, we know he can make a drastic difference in the game, but at NorthEast United, we don’t think about individual players, we think about the whole team. We have other players as well, we have Mathias [Coureur], we have William [Lalnunfela], we have Puiwamia [Lalkhawpuimawia]. We need to work together as a unit for the three points.

Here are the excerpts from the player's press conference:

Do you feel the reduced number of foreign players in the playing XI is affecting the gameplay of NorthEast United FC?

Santana: As Alison told you before, we must take a step forward in the next game against Chennai. Definitely, we had a good game in the last match, but we need to improve our attacking, create more chances. We need to get those three points and I’m thinking of those three points in the next match.

How has it been playing for NorthEast United this season?

Santana: It’s been good, it’s a new challenge for me. The last season was an amazing one for me and I’ll try to repeat it with my new team. It’s a bit difficult because we have several junior players who are playing their first ISL season, but we are trying to improve various things quickly. We are doing a good job of taking a step forward and always thinking about the three points. Every match, we want to fight and earn those three points.

How would you describe your role in the team?

Santana: I’m helping the team with my experience as it is my job. I played for several years in Spain. So, the main thing is to bond with the players and use my experience to learn the football played in the ISL as quickly as possible.