NorthEast United FC manager Ricki Herbert is looking forward to tomorrow’s Hero Indian Super League clash against Atletico de Kolkata in Guwahati. Speaking at a press conference on the eve of the match, Herbert said that their outstation rivals would present an “interesting challenge” and would be very “competitive” as they possess a little more experience. Both sides go into the encounter after collecting three points from their first round matches.“They just came from a good result at home but it’s very early in the tournament to say anything. For us, it’s another game coming up very quickly and we have to back up quicker than any other side in the league,” he explained.The former Kiwi international defender and manager at the 2010 World Cup said it was too early to make judgments on any of the other teams in the ISL. “I think it will take a few games to make anything more prominent. I think Luis Garcia is a terrific player and is a great acquisition not only for the club but also for the league,” Herbert stated.Replying to a question about Durga Boro’s availability for tomorrow’s fixture, Herbert said that the Assamese player trained with the team in the morning and acquitted himself creditably but the decision to field him would only be made in the next 24 hours. Herbert further opined that in the last game his players lost a little momentum towards the end because they’ve played the type of football they have never comprehended in their lives. So I think mentally and physically they are trying to adapt to what this league is all about, he added.Asked about how he would meet the threat posed by Kolkata striker Fikru Teferra in the game tomorrow, Herbert said that a long term view needs to be taken on this issue: “He scored a good goal in the opening game, Koke scored a good goal for us as well. I think it’s going to take some time to figure out who’s actually going to be consistent during the entire league, maybe, we haven’t seen the best goal scorer yet!”
