Friday , March 29 2024

ISL-3: Delhi Dynamos hope to set the record straight away at FC Goa!

fc-goa-delhi-dynamosDelhi Dynamos FC face FC Goa tonight in their fourth away game of the Indian Super League 2016 campaign. The match will be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa. The Lions will be hoping to come out with the full three points on offer after their last match at home against FC Pune City ended in a 1-1 draw.

Known for shuffling things every match, Gianluca Zambrotta in the last game handed a start to Soram Poirei under the bar. The goalkeeper impressed one and all and looked to learn from Antonio Doblas well, in the goalkeeper-cum-sweeper role. Anas Edathodika and David Addy returned to the starting line-up against FC Pune City, replacing Chinglesana Singh and Lalchhawnkima in defensive roles.

The match between the Dynamos and the Pune side was played at a high tempo and by FC Pune City Head Coach Antonio Habas’ own admission, Delhi Dynamos FC were clearly the better team on the pitch. On the match ending on a stalemate despite the Dynamos controlling proceedings for the majority of the game, Delhi Dynamos FC Head Coach Gianluca Zambrotta said, “We were prepared for the match in a very good way. If you see the match, we totally dominated the game and created 5-6 very clear opportunities, but unfortunately we didn’t win. But, that is football. Sometimes you are lucky and at other times you are not so lucky. During the coming weeks we have to work stronger than before in order to convert the opportunities.”

Creating chances has not been a problem for the Delhi Dynamos this season, with creative winger Marcelinho and Florent Malouda linking up well with forward Richard Gadze. Against FC Pune City, Indian player Milan Singh scored the goal that restored parity for the home side. The midfielder has put in some terrific performances for the Delhi side throughout the season. For a coach, there is nothing better than a player’s will to work hard on the pitch. Zambrotta, clearly impressed by Milan, has given him a start every game this campaign. The coach said, “We are happy about Milan. He is young and has a lot of promise and with hard work, he’ll only do better.”

After yet another draw in their previous game, Delhi Dynamos sit at the 6th position on the table currently, with 7 points from 6 games. Having won only their first game against Chennaiyin FC 3-1 despite playing some attractive football, the gaffer knows that the campaign has been one of missed opportunities for his side. Zico-coached FC Goa currently languish at the bottom of the table with 4 points, having won only 1 and lost 4 matches out of their 6.

After missing seven clear opportunities, the coach would expect his players to up the ante against the Goa-based side which reached the finals last season and Delhi Dynamos fans would be expecting their side to record their second win of the season.

A big positive of the last match tactically for Dynamos was the coming of age of Souvik Chakrabarti. The right-back has performed remarkably well and has been a constant on the defensive right flank for Gianluca Zambrotta. The player looked comfortable with his forays into the midfield and beyond in the last game and the coach is proud of his ward. Zambrotta reiterated, “When we started training with the Delhi Dynamos, Souvik always played as a lateral defender. But yes, he can play as a midfielder very well too. At the moment he is still playing in defence and he is very satisfied with his position.”

The head-to-head between Delhi Dynamos FC and FC Goa is heavily tilted towards the Goan outfit, something that the Dynamos would like to address. Having met Goa six times in the history of Indian Super League, the Lions have won just once, losing five times. FC Goa has a record of 2.3 goals on average in every match against the Delhi Dynamos FC but with Gianluca Zambrotta at helm and keeping in mind the current attacking form, this side looks capable of changing the trend.

The coach would expect his players to rise to the occasion and earning these three away points at stake would be very important for the side. Gianluca Zambrotta knows his side has been one of the best this season, and would be asking his boys to be more ruthless in the next game and pile more agony to the side sitting at the bottom of the table.

About Arunava Chaudhuri

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