Hyderabad FC assistant coach Shameel Chembakath revealed that the mood in the camp is upbeat after recent positive results and the team is geared up to take on the challenge of League Shield-chasing Mumbai City FC when they host the Islanders on Monday. 

Hyderabad FC got their first win of the season when they got the better of Chennaiyin FC with a 1-0 victory in their last match which followed a battling draw against NorthEast United FC. The assistant coach felt the team is feeling motivated ahead of the final few games and was ready to give their best.

“After getting three points, the players and staff are happy,” Shameel said. 

“We may not have seasoned players but we have talented and promising players. The target will always be to get three points but also developing these young and talented players so that we find some new players for the upcoming season,” he added. 

“The preparation is going good after the break and on the back of a good result. The good part is that the players expect Aryan and Manoj are fit. We have prepared well and the boys are ready to give it their best in the upcoming match,” he continued. 

Shameel though was full of respect for their opponents who are in contention for the League Shield. 

“We are aware of their strong line-up. Their defence has three national team players in addition to the likes of Tiri and Krouma. But I believe that our attacking strategy will work well,” he said. 

“They have strong wingers, strong foreign players like Jorge Perreyra Diaz, Alberto Noguera. We have prepared well and strategised deeply and are confident that our approach will work well against them,” he added. 

Hyderabad FC have endured a difficult season as they are set to finish bottom of the pile. The assistant coach addressed the difficulties the team faced during the campaign but have hopes for a brighter future. 

“We lost a lot of players in mid-season. That is football and we can't change that,” he said. 

“We didn't have very high hopes after that but after seeing the performances and the training sessions, the work rate that they bring is massive which makes us believe that we can do well in the upcoming season,” he added. 

“The attitude and work rate of the players are most important. Most players are young, so we are focusing on their mentality and emotions. With less experienced players in the squad, we can motivate them and give them some tips, tell them what they are lacking in. We won't change our style ahead of the next matches,” he concluded. 

Need to focus for the full ninety minutes: Jeremy Zohminghlua

Hyderabad FC defender Jeremy Zohminghlua accompanied assistant coach Shameel Chembakath in the pre-match press conference and spoke about the challenge posed by Mumbai City FC in the next match. 

“The break was good for me. I worked a lot as the coach asked me to,” he said during the pre-match press conference. 

“We are going to give our best against Mumbai City FC. Mumbai City FC have a big squad compared to us. They have more foreign players and more international players and are more experienced in ISL. But we are going to do our best to win,” he added. 

“We need to focus throughout the ninety minutes. We can't think beyond that. If we do that, we will have a chance to win the game,” he concluded. 

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