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I-League: Our Preparation In Pre-Season Wasn't Good Enough - Sporting Clube de Goa Striker Junior Elijah
The Nigerian is optimistic of avoiding relegation…
22-Mar-2010 6:46:00 PM
By Amoy Ghoshal
It took Sporting 17 games to register their first I-League win of the season after shockingly beating Mohun Bagan 2-1 in Kolkata on Saturday evening.
However they are still placed rock bottom which is a massive contrast to their last season’s third place finish.
Their topscorer, Junior Elijah, who scored the all important winner against Bagan feels that their poor preparation in pre-season is the reason for their dismal showing in this campaign
Speaking to Goal.com, he said, “It has been a very difficult season for us and I think the main reason for that is we didn’t have a proper preparation in pre-season. We had a coach (Roy Barreto) who came from Portugal and did not have much idea about Indian football so the way we prepared wasn’t good enough.
“Then of course we have had injuries which haven’t allowed us to have a fixed starting eleven week in week out. Our performances also started to dip and we have been a little unlucky also. All of these factors made it even tougher for us and our opponents have exploited our shortcomings.”
But the Nigerian striker opined that the return of Vishwas Gaonkar as coach has helped the team and the win over Bagan will given them much needed confidence for the remainder of the season.
“Vishwas and the players share a very good understanding. He knows us very well and remember under him we were at the top of the table last season, so the team is much more confident with Vishwas as coach.
“We are unbeaten in our last four matches but the win only came in the last game. The odds were against us but we produced a fantastic performance to win in Kolkata so I think those three points will have a very positive impact on our rest of the season.”
Junior was one of the most in-form foreigners last season but this term he hasn’t been consistent which has affected Sporting’s results. The 24 year old feels that injuries has been responsible for his poor form but he hopes to perform better in remaining matches.
“There will always be pressure on a professional footballer to perform and this time I think there were more expectations from me. Unfortunately I haven’t been at my best and injuries have made it worse for me.
“I believe every player goes through tough phases in their career so probably I am experiencing that stage now. But I have been improving recently and I have set myself a personal target to reach double figures, however the main aim is to take Sporting to safety.”
The Flaming Oranje are currently seven points behind 12th placed Salgaocar so with only nine games remaining, the Goan side do have their work cut out.
Junior is optimistic of beating the drop and stated that recent results has increased the self-belief of their squad.
“We have a tough ask because less than ten matches remain now but we have been playing well recently and the first win of the campaign have lifted our morale.
“Consistency is very important now because there is very little room for error. It is going to be difficult but all the players believe that survival is very much possible.”
Lastly, Junior talked about the kind of reaction and support Sporting has had from their fans.
“Obviously you cannot expect fans to cheer when their team is losing regularly so there was a point in the season when we were scared to play our home matches because we knew that the fans were not happy.
“But overall our fans are great as they come to the ground even though we are not doing well in the league. I believe they are satisfied with our recent form but we must keep getting results and avoid relegation, only then can we make them happy,” he concluded.
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However they are still placed rock bottom which is a massive contrast to their last season’s third place finish.
Their topscorer, Junior Elijah, who scored the all important winner against Bagan feels that their poor preparation in pre-season is the reason for their dismal showing in this campaign
Speaking to Goal.com, he said, “It has been a very difficult season for us and I think the main reason for that is we didn’t have a proper preparation in pre-season. We had a coach (Roy Barreto) who came from Portugal and did not have much idea about Indian football so the way we prepared wasn’t good enough.
“Then of course we have had injuries which haven’t allowed us to have a fixed starting eleven week in week out. Our performances also started to dip and we have been a little unlucky also. All of these factors made it even tougher for us and our opponents have exploited our shortcomings.”
But the Nigerian striker opined that the return of Vishwas Gaonkar as coach has helped the team and the win over Bagan will given them much needed confidence for the remainder of the season.
“Vishwas and the players share a very good understanding. He knows us very well and remember under him we were at the top of the table last season, so the team is much more confident with Vishwas as coach.
“We are unbeaten in our last four matches but the win only came in the last game. The odds were against us but we produced a fantastic performance to win in Kolkata so I think those three points will have a very positive impact on our rest of the season.”
Junior was one of the most in-form foreigners last season but this term he hasn’t been consistent which has affected Sporting’s results. The 24 year old feels that injuries has been responsible for his poor form but he hopes to perform better in remaining matches.
“There will always be pressure on a professional footballer to perform and this time I think there were more expectations from me. Unfortunately I haven’t been at my best and injuries have made it worse for me.
“I believe every player goes through tough phases in their career so probably I am experiencing that stage now. But I have been improving recently and I have set myself a personal target to reach double figures, however the main aim is to take Sporting to safety.”
The Flaming Oranje are currently seven points behind 12th placed Salgaocar so with only nine games remaining, the Goan side do have their work cut out.
Junior is optimistic of beating the drop and stated that recent results has increased the self-belief of their squad.
“We have a tough ask because less than ten matches remain now but we have been playing well recently and the first win of the campaign have lifted our morale.
“Consistency is very important now because there is very little room for error. It is going to be difficult but all the players believe that survival is very much possible.”
Lastly, Junior talked about the kind of reaction and support Sporting has had from their fans.
“Obviously you cannot expect fans to cheer when their team is losing regularly so there was a point in the season when we were scared to play our home matches because we knew that the fans were not happy.
“But overall our fans are great as they come to the ground even though we are not doing well in the league. I believe they are satisfied with our recent form but we must keep getting results and avoid relegation, only then can we make them happy,” he concluded.
Become a fan of Goal.com India's Facebook fan page for all the latest news and insight into everything the related to the beautiful game!
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