NorthEast United FC manager Ricki Herbert said his side would not be intimidated by the fact that Mumbai City FC thumped FC Pune City 5-0 in their Hero Indian Super League match last Saturday, and would take the attack to the opposition camp when the two teams square off at the DY Patil Stadium on Friday. “We also look to play an attacking brand of football. We are not here to shut things up and be incredibly defensive. We respect a side that has scored five in its previous game, but that will not deter us from trying to play our offensive brand of football. We are injury-free as well, so that should help,” Herbert said at a press conference here today.Ricki also stated that he was not worried about the threat posed by the rampaging Mumbaikars but was more concerned about how his squad would shape up. “I have had a lifetime in football and learnt that in competitions like this, fortunes can fluctuate. For us, we have gone through a tough initial schedule, but I am hoping that we will be fresh for the next game. We should probably have won against Goa by quite a few goals, but we will learn from that and try and be more clinical,” he promised. The New Zealand manager at the 2010 World Cup also stated that he was happy with the steady progress of the Indian players in his team. “In a competition like this, everybody should enjoy the spectacle that is being put up,” the Kiwi explained. “The boys have been solid. But everyone has to be patient, with regard to their development. We have 14 young Indian boys from the same club (Shillong Lajong) who are playing in such a competition for the first time. Whilst this gentleman (pointing at his skipper and centre Miguel Garcia) has played at the highest level, the Indian boys will slowly learn what it takes to keep up a standard level of performance, day in and day out.”Herbert also praised his young star Durga Boro. “The Indian boys have proved that they can compete well. Durga played very well against Goa. I am pleased with the way he has stepped up to the Indian Super League. A lot of our boys have. I am pleased for them.”Defender Garcia ended the press conference by stressing the importance of crowd support: “The matches that we play at home are phenomenal. The crowd really gets behind us and rallies us at times. I can tell you that sometimes, that support is the difference between three points and a draw or a loss.”
