FC Goa coach Zico was in a positive mood ahead of his side's clash against Mumbai City FC despite going down to Kerala Blasters FC in their previous outing. At a pre-match press conference on the eve of the match, Zico suggested that he may make a few changes to the squad. Playing down the hand of luck in his team's performance in the tournament so far, he said, "Maybe we're making the wrong choices when it comes to scoring goals. We need to practise well to do what we're supposed to on the field."The Brazilian has a wealth of football experience as a player and a manager, but, so far, his team hasn’t reached the standard Zico has set during his previous managerial stops. "I try to bring every inch of my experience into play to show my players what to expect and what to avoid," he said. Stating that from here on there's only one direction the team can go in terms of the league table, he was confident in his team's ability. "We are not out of it yet. As long as there is life, we will survive. We're still breathing," he added.The coach praised his wingers but also pointed out their inexperience, adding that he has a number of players in his team vying for the same positions. "When we choose players, we have to see their skill and make the right choice. We have a number of players for the same positions. Hence we have to adapt to the characteristics of our guys. My players are fast and skilful and well suited to the wings. They cannot change overnight. I cannot expect them to perform through the middle," he noted.It was pointed out that the team has the tendency to concede goals on the counterattack. Zico agreed and noted that they have to defend well moving backwards. "We are trying to make sure we don't concede on the counter. Usually, we're behind in a match and as a result we have to push forward. This leaves space and the opponents can capitalise."Young Indian winger Mandar Rao Desai, who was also in attendance at the press conference, maintained that the local players were putting in immense effort to turn things around for their team. "The home players are trying hard. Romeo, Gabriel and I are putting in a lot of effort to get results," he said.On a more general note, Zico was full of praise for football in India. He noted that the growth of football in India reminds him of his time in Japan where the game grew exponentially to compete with baseball now. Zico hoped that a similar trend would soon show in India as well. "We cannot make comparisons between the two sports (football and cricket). India has a huge population. There is surely room for football to grow."
