Advertisement

ISL 2017: Sergio Lobera concentrating on Goa's strengths as the Kerala Blasters come knocking

After having toppled Bengaluru FC in a seven-goal thriller in their last game at the Fatorda stadium, FC Goa coach Sergio Lobera was confident in his side’s strengths as they get ready to welcome Kerala Blasters on Saturday.

The visitors are yet to win a single game in their three fixtures so far in the tournament but have been tough to break down defensively. A confident Lobera said that his side would be concentrating on their own strengths rather than the weaknesses of the opponent.

"I don't think there's any point in my team thinking much about how the other team is going to play. What we need think about is to focus on ourselves as the team at home. To be a top team, we'll have to be strong at home and that's what we are going to be focusing on,” the Spaniard said at the pre-match press conference on Friday.

Rene Meulensteen’s men have conceded only one goal so far in the league though they have struggled with offence having bagged a solitary goal in their three matches. Lobera though refused to characterise the two-time runners-up of the Indian Super League (ISL) as a defensive side ahead of their clash.

"I won't classify Kerala as just a defensive team. From what we have seen so far, they have been very strong defensively, but they have got a lot of players who can create a lot of chances,” he stated.

The Gaurs themselves have been profligate in attack with eight goals so far but have been vulnerable in defence having conceded seven times. On his defensive setup that has not remained constant, the FC Goa coach explained, "There are two things that we have to consider here. The first thing is that we can only play a maximum of five foreigners in a game at a point of time. Given that, we have to adjust ourselves and balance our foreigners within the team. 

Sunil Chhetri FC Goa Bengaluru FC ISL season 4 2017/2018
Sunil Chhetri FC Goa Bengaluru FC ISL season 4 2017/2018

"The second thing is the kind of opponent that we will be coming up against. For example, the matches against Mumbai and Bengaluru were two different styles of playing. So we have to adapt ourselves to the situations that we were facing. I will always pick the best first 11 that will help us to win the game."

Quizzed if playing after a gap of eight days is a good thing for his side who are on the winning momentum, Lobera replied that it is all about adapting to the calendar.

"Eight days is a long time but the league is devised the way it is. It's not that the fixtures are drawn up at our ease. We need to learn on how to adapt ourselves according to the calendar and improve ourselved accordingly. It is true that we might lose a little bit of a rhythm especially after playing after a win, but we have to take these days as a positive," he signed off.