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With just one game left for FC Goa in the ISL, it can surely be said that their campaign did not go as well as they would have liked. Derrick Pereira and his boys are currently in ninth place, with just 18 points from 19 games and have won just four times so far.
In the meantime, however, the head coach is counting his positives. The optimistic tactician is of the opinion that the team learned several new things during the season.
“This whole season has been a learning curve for us. In my case, I experienced life in a bio-bubble for the first time. The players, although not new to it, had a different experience this time around,” he explained ahead of FC Goa’s final league game against Kerala Blasters.
“I understood a lot about players’ mental well-being and how important it is. A lot of factors affected our results this season. We had to make last-minute changes to our playing XI in some games, and there were days when we could not go out and train.”
“Individual mistakes – not just of players but also of those officiating the matches – had an effect on some matches. In short, we all could have done a lot of things differently.”
Derrick Pereira and his boys will now walk out to the pitch for one final showdown, when they lock horns with high-flying Kerala Blasters in their last match of the season on Sunday. A win will take the Blasters to the playoffs for the first time in nearly six years, and FC Goa have an opportunity to stop them.
The boss, however, maintained that the focus is only on his own team and what they can do.
“We want to end the season on a good note. We have always been focusing on our own game and on what we can do to the best of our abilities. We’ll continue doing the same for tomorrow’s game as well,” he said, before adding that the team are no longer suffering from the effects of COVID-19.
“Everyone has tested negative for the virus. However, there are a few injury concerns – we will field our best possible XI tomorrow,” he signed off.
The match between FC Goa and Kerala Blasters is slated for a 7:30pm IST kickoff, at the SAG Athletic Stadium in Bambolim, Goa on Sunday.
