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‘Expectations will be nothing less than a top four finish, or higher for FCPC’
FC Pune City’s new coach Miguel Portugal brings realistic nous to the job, given he is ex-Delhi Dynamos. However, the club are only concerned with results... as are the fans. So what does Portugal think...
Your thoughts on the number of attacking options you have at your disposal, your preferred formation and expected XI for the season ahead?
To play a brand of football that we want to, we now have good options across. Not only for attacking, but also in defence, midfield and goal. Additionally, we also have some players who can adapt and change their roles according to match situations. While it is true people speak and write only about those who score goals, but for me, we are right now adequately filled up for every position. Expected XI is still a distant thought as we are right now focusing on achieving our goals for pre-season. Also a handful of Indian players are on national duty, so once they are back we will start forming the core.
After reaching the semis in season 4, expectations now are to do even better. Do you think this team has it in them?
This team has all the ingredients to achieve what we aim for. It’s my job to help the team achieve that. Having said that, the expectations from our club will be nothing less than a top four or higher finish. But, we are breaking down our goals and going one step at a time. The idea is to first qualify for the playoffs and then take it from there.
You have worked in Spain, Bolivia, Brazil and Algeria. Where do you think Indian football is in comparison to these four nations and what needs to be done to take things to the next level?
It is incorrect to compare Indian football to any of the nations mentioned above. Indian football is charting its own course and the people managing the sport have some ideas which are commendable, the league being one of them. The sport is picking up pace and gathering the right momentum and the efforts put in by clubs here are also noteworthy, so the country needs to be patient for results to come by.
This year, the league has seen a change in the player retention system, your thoughts on that?
If you ask me honestly, I prefer to work with the rules that are in place. The rules are same for everyone and hence, it is always a level-playing field. What you get out of the players you have, is what makes the difference; so I am focused on bringing the best out of my team and not worried about the league rules as much.
What are the challenges you face because of not being able to speak English fluently?
Every sport has its own language and football has its own. A sport played by almost every country in the world is understood sometimes without even saying a word. Having said that, all players are familiar to the drills, set pieces, combinations, among others things. I am also making an effort to understand and speak simple English. Besides, we also have local coaches to translate when it’s difficult to understand, which is a rarity. I make sure I use simple English words which can be understood by the players. Besides, there are players also who can explain it to their teammates if something is not understood because of my accent. Again, it’s a two-way thing here. There can be times when I don’t understand their accent, where players can come and chip in. So it’s not as difficult as it seems.
