Interview with Pronay Halder: Defence, not attack key in tonights clash
“We will think about the I League after the 20th,” exudes Pronay Halder in an exclusive chat with SportsKeeda. By his own admission the 22 year old starlet from Barrackpore is being pursued by three of the biggest clubs in Indian football currently- East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC. The sharp and nimble footed midfielder however maintains that his only focus currently is to take FC Goa to the ISL final.
As the discussion went on, he talked at length about his journey so far and the road ahead.
Excerpts:
Hello Pronay, talk us through your experience in ISL so far.
Its been really good. We, at FC Goa have clicked as a unit and thats precisely what helped us finish top of the points table in the group stages.
For me personally, its extremely enriching to be a part of such a wonderful franchisee. When I was drafted in earlier this year, I was unsure about how the season will unfold but now I am extremely glad. The whole staff here has made it so much easier for me to adopt and give my best.
Talking about the support staff, how is it like to play under the legendary Zico?
He is one of the greatest to have ever played the game. Its thus an absolute honour for me to be guided by him. What makes him stand out is the way he binds the whole team together. Also his inputs are very insightful.
Zico has however fiddled you around in the line up , at times playing you out of your favoured position. Are you comfortable with that?
See, I used to play as a stopper during my days at the TATA Football Academy; even for the national team, I am deployed as a right back. So its not unnatural for me to play in different positions. I am sure he is doing what is best for the team. I am just happy to contribute in any way possible.
You have the second leg of your semi final against Delhi Dynamos later today. Considering you are 0-1 down, how is the team preparing for that?
To be honest, we did commit some mistakes in the first leg. Hence the loss. But we aren't thinking about it; I know if we play to our potential, we can beat Delhi and thats the sentment across our whole team.
In fact, we aren't even perturbed about scoring a goal early, most importantly we should not concede. If we can do that, I am confident our strikers will definitely find a way through of taking us home.