I-League 2017: Sanjoy Sen - 'When you are with East Bengal or Mohun Bagan, there will be pressure'

Mohun Bagan might have a perfect record going into their round five clash against DSK Shivajians in the I-League, having won four out of four, but head coach Sanjoy Sen is taking nothing for granted. He said, " DSK Shivajians are a very good team. Away games are always difficult and tomorrow will not be easy. You saw what happened against Chennai City FC. It was a tough game for us. Every match will be tough." 

The 56-year-old also claimed that his team is not feeling bogged down by the pressure on them to win and instead are looking to thrive on it. "When you are with East Bengal or Mohun Bagan, there will be pressure. But for being champions, we have to win as many matches as possible. It doesn't matter that we are playing home or away. We will try to gain maximum points."

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 Mr. Sen also said that he was not paying any heed to other results, especially Bengaluru's defeat to East Bengal which helped Bagan go two points clear at the top, and they were focussing on their own results. "There will be losses for teams, there will be draws. But all that matters is what you do. If we keep watching opponents, we will lose focus."

The 2014/15 I-League winner also mentioned Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos to drive home the point that his team needs to improve further. "Results wise, we are definitely consistent. We have to improve everyday though. There will be mistakes and what we have to do is rectify it. Sergio Ramos scored an own goal the other day for Real Madrid but he scored 2 goals to win them a game recently. That's what it is all about - rectifying mistakes," he explained. 

His counterpart, Dave Rogers, stressed on how much he and his team were looking forward to this game. "We're looking forward to it. They're one of the big teams in the league and the boys are excited. They've had a fantastic start to the season and are top of the league." he said. 

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"Sanjoy is a good coach and he has some excellent players but that's how it is. We need to try and keep our momentum going," he further added. 

Rogers went on to deny that his team needs a 'special performance' against Mohun Bagan, insisting that they were always putting in their very best, regardless of the opposition. "We are not in our comfort zone. We've been working hard every day - my players and my staff. We've got fantastic team spirit. Anybody is capable of beating anybody in this league. That's what makes it interesting."

He also confirmed that he had no major injury concerns, other than several minor niggles. He said, "There are always injury concerns and little niggles. That we'll assess in the morning but nothing major."