Imphal: Debutants Neroca FC will aim to continue it’s unbeaten streak of five matches when they face fellow newbies Indian Arrows at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium here on Friday.
Placed third with 11 points after seven matches, the Manipuri outfit have played brave against the likes of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan and will be rearing to get in the field against the young colts.
They began with a loss to Minerva Punjab. But the defeat however now seems to be a distant past as the ‘Men in Yellow’ look to be force to reckon with, especially with the addition of Serbian forward Nedo Turkovic.
Coach Gift Raikhan expects his boys to continue their success on the field while also not letting much out about his game-plan for tomorrow.
“We have a plan for tomorrow. We have a different strategy. As a coach, I don’t talk about my strategy before the game. We planned together and all my players have understood my plan. Now, we have to prove it and the plan should be successful on the field,” said Raikhan on the eve of the match.
Skipper Lalit Thapa however refused to take the young boys lightly. “It is not an easy game for us, they are a young team.” Having witnessed the Arrows’ style fast-paced counter-attacks, the Neroca custodian added, “It will be hard for us, we cannot give space to them. If we give space, they will hit us hard.”
As for the Indian Arrows many of Luis Norton’s boys return to home turf. But that may not deem them favourites against Neroca belives Matos. Unlike other teams that depend on foreigners, the Portugese wants his boys to gain experience from every match.
“There will be 5-6 (Manipur-born) on the field for (Indian Arrows) sure,” he said also praising the North-eastern state for the pool of talent it has been for India in the past decades.
His knowledge about Indian football have coincided with his awareness of the talent that comes out of Manipur. “I now know a little bit more about football in India. There are players from Manipur in all I-League teams. It is a region of football talent. I am glad to coach so many players of Manipur,” he said.
Yet despite his increasing knowledge of football in India it is for the first time that he has come to the breeding ground of talent and was awed by what he saw. “I am very excited to be in Manipur for the first time. When I came to coach the Indian U-17 side first, I was touched by a lot of the players from Manipur,” he added excitedly disclaiming, “There is a big passion in this region for football.”