Owen Coyle talks about the team’s approach for the upcoming game against Mumbai City and the importance of mental strength at the current stage of the league. The Gaffer also talks about the club’s and the team’s development compared to the previous seasons and plans for the same in the future.

Here are the excerpts from the pre-match press conference

On the approach for the tough game against Mumbai City FC

We need to push the same way we did against ATK Mohun Bagan as the players performed outstandingly and especially in the second half. We were in a comfortable position but their goalkeeper made a save which is possibly the save of the season. When we were left with just 10 minutes for full-time, we got sucker-punched as Roy Krishna came in with a wonderful finish into the net. So, I think we just have to apply ourselves and make sure we work to finish our season strong with 6 points to get to an overall of 27 points and then there will be 3 teams fighting for the top 4 spots. We still have a chance to get to 27 points with Bengaluru FC just ahead of us, who we still have to face and we will try to get above them as well. So, there’s a lot to play for and we have to make sure we are professional, focused and focused to play against a very good side with good players, and Mumbai City is that opportunity for us

On the importance of mental strength at this stage of the league

I think it is very necessary to have that mental quality to keep pushing forward and to be professional as we have a lot of things to play for. As a player, one shouldn't focus on their pride or esteem but focus on the fans and the club and make sure you are focused to give your very best on the pitch.

On what aspects has the squad improved compared to previous seasons

I do not think there is any doubt about the improvement we have seen in the team. There are a few areas we can work to improve surely but we have really improved a lot. Considering the injuries we have had this season, we did not have all the 5 foreigners available as David Grande & Nick Fiztgerald were injured for almost the whole season which left us with limited options for the team in terms of substitutions and in some of the sessions we had to follow isolation. In the first leg with FC Goa, Alex Lima clearly scored a goal with the ball over a yard beyond the goal line in the final minutes of the game but was disallowed. So without events like those and the isolation, we should have been way ahead and won games...3 out of which would have taken us up to a higher position over FC Goa. People will think it is a huge problem of having no goal line technology or the officials not giving accurate decisions. But, the margins are so fine here and we have been right in the mix with chances to qualify for the play-offs and that is what we have to do. We have some wonderful players with some wonderful staff in the club and the lads have worked so hard. It has been difficult for the players to live within the bio-bubble but they have continued to work hard in the training and what we plan to do is grab as many points as possible from the 2 games.

On the way the team is building up for the next season considering the signings this season

As you know, we are looking to bring in some terrific players into the club with Farukh and Boris who have signed permanent contracts while Len has come on loan till the end of the season. So, we have added some speed to our squad and we also require youthful young players who we can continue to work with the balance of having some good experienced players. So, when we get that balance right moving forward, we are going to build a very exciting team and that is what we desire to have. It is our time to shine as we have been pushing closer every season but we need to push even further to reach the position we need to be in and we are capable of achieving that. I think we should aim to not be reliant on certain players to score goals and we need people scoring from different areas, which we have to work on as well. But there have surely been some positives and there are areas where we need to improve on, but the lads deserve full credit for the efforts they have put in, not just players who take on the field but everyone in the club. It can be mentally tough for these players to be inside the bio-bubble which doubles or triples with the meetings and the game time. So it has been a real challenge for these players. So, full credits to them for being strong.

Updates on injuries from the last fixture

There’s always niggles and injuries to players. The other day we had a closed door game with SC East Bengal and Boris picked up an injury. But hopefully we will have a relatively full squad available and it is going to be a tough game which we really look forward to.