I-League 2017-18: Shillong Lajong coach Alison Kharsyntiew rues lack of quality in attack

Shillong Lajong were thrashed 3-0 by Mohun Bagan at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong on Saturday as goals from Aser Dipanda Dicka, Akram Moghrabi and Yuta Kinowaki propelled them to the third spot on the league table. 

Second-in-command Alison Kharsyntiew pointed out that his side's bluntness and lack of quality in the attacking third is repeatedly letting them down.

"The players are working hard but we are lacking that extra quality on the finish and on the final deliveries. I don't think we lack concentration. But after the second goal, the team got demotivated and they went on to score the third." 

"In football we need goals. If we create chances and score it becomes easier but that did not happen today. Mohun Bagan got one chance and they scored. Before that, we got so many set-pieces but we did not utilise it," reasoned Kharsyntiew. 

The coach said that it is better for them to take one match at a time rather than setting long-term goals.

"At the moment we are not thinking long-term. We just want to win the next match. It is very disappointing for the entire team but we have to keep moving on and try harder in the next game," said Kharsyntiew.

On the other hand, Mohun Bagan coach Sankarlal Chakraborty was jubilant after his side managed to pump in three goals in an away fixture.

"Of course I am very happy with the performance of my team as we scored three goals in an away match. We need to maintain this momentum in the upcoming matches if we want to challenge for the title," said Chakraborty.

The former assistant coach to Sanjoy Sen was full of praise for his foreign contingent especially Yuta Kinowaki and Akram Moghrabi.

"Yuta is a good player and he put in an excellent shift after coming back after a long time from an injury. Whereas Akram has already proved his worth when he helped Churchill win the title by scoring a lot of goals. He is a clever and intelligent player. He along with Watson guides the younger players of our squad which is very important. When Yuta and Watson are fit they bring experience to our midfield and today's result is a testimony to that," concluded Chakraborty.

With the three-goal win, Mohun Bagan leapfrog arch-rivals East Bengal on the league table and are now six points adrift of Minerva Punjab at the top. Both Bagan and Lajong will face Chennai City away from home in their next matchday.