Mumbai City FC head coach Des Buckingham believes the new signings in the transfer window have strengthened his team as they face Chennaiyin FC in match 83 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 at PJN Stadium, Margao, on Sunday.

Mumbai City FC are sixth in the league with 19 points in 13 matches. The club is without a win in their last seven games. However, they are only a point adrift of the top four spots.

Mumbai City FC played a 1-1 draw against ATK Mohun Bagan in their last match. They managed only two shots on target in the entire match.

Ahead of Mumbai City FC’s match against Chennaiyin FC, coach Buckingham addressed the media during the official pre-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the press conference.

What’s the importance of Igor Angulo to the team?

I think in the last two games we have started to build momentum. I was happy with the way we were able to go out and perform. We will look to carry it in tomorrow’s game. We have got seven games left. We are looking at tomorrow’s game to get back to winning ways. In terms of Igor, he was part of the Covid-19 scare that we had here. We are trying to manage him back into the group. That’s why he didn’t start the other night. He’s in a good space now and is in contention to start tomorrow.

Mumbai City FC have made good signings in the transfer window. Do you think all the gaps have been filled now?

We went out to get players who would improve the team for the rest of the season and also AFC Champions League. It’s not as easy as we want this player and we will get this player. There are a lot of things we need to navigate. The players we ended up bringing in I am very happy with. They have strengthened our side.

After playing two games in three weeks the club will now play two games in three days. What are your thoughts on it? And how are you preparing?

We have to get on with it. There’s no point in complaining. I think the good thing is if you ask the players and the staff they would prefer to play than to train. That’s what everybody wants to do. We have a lot of games coming up in a short space of time. We will prepare the players as best as we can. We are very much looking forward to the next game.

What are your thoughts on tomorrow’s opponent? They have only won one match in the last five, do you think it will be advantageous for you?

It’s going to be a tough game. Last time when we played them, I think we scored in the last four or five minutes. It will be tough but we are looking forward to it. The players are ready. Hopefully we will get the result we want.

Ahmed Jahouh made a very rare mistake at the back. Do you think he will be back to his best tomorrow?

You can’t define a performance on an individual mistake. Jahouh is a very influential player and has been for this club and in the league for the last few seasons. And when someone gets on the ball as often as he does, they will turn the ball over every now and then. Unfortunately, it cost us a goal last time around. I want him to continue getting on the ball because his skills are fantastic. It’s important he gets on the ball and shows us what he is capable of.