PANAJI:The overhaul of players and staff at Mumbai City FC during the off season saw the club recruit a familiar face in Indian football, with Sergio Lobera taking over the reigns as the club's new head coach. The Spaniard will be looking to add the elusive Indian Super League trophy to the club's cabinet, and has expressed his full faith in the current balance and set-up of the squad ahead of the much-anticipated 2020-21 edition of the league.
"I am very happy to be back here in India, and very excited to be a part of the Mumbai City family. We have a great challenge ahead of us here, and with the current Covid-19 situation and living in the bio-bubble, I want such challenges because it makes us work closely and collectively in the best way," Lobera said on Tuesday before Mumbai City's season opener against NorthEast United which will take place on Saturday.
"We have started training well in these past few weeks, and I am delighted to be working with this group of players who have been great in training. I am excited to see what each one of our players can offer to us, and if we can get our ideas through to them, it'll be a great season for us and for our fans," added the 43-year-old.
Having been a former assistant and a youth coach at FC Barcelona, Lobera is known to follow an attractive brand of football, and the head coach reckons he is aiming to bring the same brand to Mumbai City.
"You know what my idea of playing is, and I followed the same at three seasons at FC Goa. It is important for me that spectators enjoy the football that we play - of course winning the matches is important, but I also believe in having my team play an attacking brand of football where we are also able to create a balance. I want my team to be able to play beautiful, possession-based football, and also close down teams to quickly win back possession," said the Spaniard.
He added that his focus will also be on improving the Indian players.
"We need to work in all the directions. We have some amazing players who have had great careers, but the most important is to improve the level of the Indian players. For me, as coach, I need help of foreign players to improve the Indian players."
"It's impossible to win a trophy if the Indian players aren't at the level, and it is also impossible to win when your foreign players do not gel with the Indian players. So as the coach, I need my foreign players to play a big role on and off the pitch," he added.
Asked to comment on the make-up of the squad, Lobera expressed satisfaction at being able to assemble a good squad ahead of the 2020/21 season.
"I am very happy with the team I have. I think we have special players and I am trying to get the players to play in our style and hopefully we can perform when the season gets underway. In my team, I obviously want players who want to win everything, but my focus is on playing beautiful football, with the final objective being - to win the matches," said Lobera.
Commenting on having the option of five substitutes in a game, Lobera said he was pleased he can influence more matches through the substitutions. "In my opinion, it is good to have five substitutes. It means when you can do more changes, you can influence and change the direction of the game. It is a good option."
All the matches in 2020/21 ISL season will be played in three bio-secure venues across Goa amid the Covid-19 pandemic.