Kozhikode: After suffering hat-trick of defeats in their least three encounters All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) developmental team, Indian Arrows will eye revenge when they face a depleted Gokulam FC at the latter’s home on Friday.
A team of young colts comprising of U-17 and U-19 players, the Arrows went down 0-2 when they last faced the debutants at home, a match head coach Luis Matos feels was strange -“They scored the first goal from a corner. Their second goal was from a free-kick. At the end, they got the three points.”
But Friday will be a different match he informed. “It is important that the fans and the players are satisfied with the way we play. We will try our best tomorrow to win,” added the Portugese tactician.
Gokulam on the other have failed to find the right combination, while unwell players combined with the lack of goals from foreign recruits have added to their woes. “Balwinder has chicken pox. He is admitted to the hospital. I have no idea what is happening”, said a frustrated Bino George whose side have managed to win just one match in seven fixtures, the sole victory against the Arrows.
“The problem with us is the lack of foreign players. We signed Odafa because it was easy to complete the paperwork. He has scored a lot of goals,” he added. The experinced Nigerian who has scored over 100 goals in India however failed to convert against Neroca and George reiterated that the foreign signings should contribute more to churn out some positive results.
But having overcome the Arrows challenge back in Delhi, George was confident yet cautious. The young guns have surprised many with their performances and he warned his men, “They will threaten if given space.”
Playing at home will nonetheless give the Southern Outfits an additional advantage something that Matos lamented. For us, tomorrow will be difficult. “We are not in the best shape. Since December 19, we have played so many matches, so very short time to recover. It was a Lot of travelling. These are not excuses but reality. It is not easy for these young boys.”