Football coaches know that making promises is a dangerous proposition as they often are not fulfilled. So Mumbai City FC manager Peter Reid is not promising a win against FC Pune City whom they will take on in a second round match of the Hero Indian Super League at the D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai here tomorrow. But he is certainly assuring a better show from his lads who were trounced 0-3 away to Atletico de Kolkata in the inaugural match of the tournament.“I got asked this question at the very first match in Kolkata. It is difficult to promise something as a football coach, as a cricket coach, maybe,” he said in reply to a question at a pre-match media conference here today. He however added that he was looking forward to some improvement from his squad and the players are looking forward to doing well here. “I just hope we can go out there and play with freedom, get our passing right and try and make it an entertaining game because people want to be entertained,” he stated.Having said that, Reid clarified that the team need to be professional and strong at the back tomorrow and there’s no need to be gung ho and get caught at the back. But he reiterated that the most important thing was to collect all three points. “I want to win!” he exclaimed.The 58-year-old English gaffer who has been with Manchester City, Sunderland, Leeds United and has even managed the England team for three years in the late 1980s, said his squad is looking forward to the game here as the pitch looks great, the stadium looks fantastic, there’s a great atmosphere, and most importantly, they’ll be playing on grass. “I think the players will appreciate playing on this surface, it is conducive to a better passing game” he quipped.Reiterating the imperatives for tomorrow, Reid added, “We need to pass the ball better. I’m hoping that we will pass the ball better than we did in Kolkata.”He hinted that there will be at least a couple of changes in the line-up from the one that started in Kolkata. Injured skipper Syed Rahim Nabi will obviously be missing in action, and there is a chance for Brazilian attacking midfielder André Moritz, among others, to get a look in as Reid looks to shuffle the side following their opening-day defeat.Marquee player Freddie Ljungberg, who is nursing a calf strain, practised for half an hour today and he didn’t feel any reaction up till now, Reid revealed. The coach conceded that not having his marquee player, as well as star striker Nicolas Anelka, available for instant call-up is a huge disadvantage, but stressed that it gives the other players in the squad a chance to step up to the pace. “They (the reserves) have just got to come in and do the job,” he declared.Mumbai City FC central defender Manuel Friedrich has also promised a better game from his teammates. He said that he was personally disappointed by the defeat in Kokata as they were not able to perform as a team. The 35-year-old German who has represented Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, says that his defence is quite solid as Pavel Cmovs. “It is important to talk to each other and to communicate. When there is an understanding among ourselves we will be able to play our natural game,” he promised.
