ISL 2017/18: Taking risks make Mumbai City FC vulnerable, admits coach Alexandre Guimaraes
"No no no! Nobody here is thinking about a draw," Alexandre Guimaraes makde it very clear from the onset. With only six matches remaining and a top-four spot up for grabs, Mumbai City FC cannot afford to drop too many points from here on.
His side has conceded seven goals in their last three matches, very unlike a team is known to be solid at the back. However, Guimaraes put things into perspective, "We are getting at a stage when we have to take risks and we are taking it. This is making us more vulnerable," he said.
On Thursday, sixth place Mumbai will host fifth-placed, Jamshedpur FC in the, a team who themselves are in the reckoning for a playoff spot, ISL. Mumbai City FC coach, Guimaraes is hoping his players are lethal in front of goal and expects their opponents to not give his team too many chances.
"I expect it will be a game where both teams will be competitive. In these kinds of games, every detail will make the difference. Jamshedpur is not a team who give you many chances to score so we have to be very accurate and convert the chances we get," he explained.
Asked about the probability of Mumbai securing a top 4 berth, Guimaraes is pretty confident that his side has what it takes. With Bengaluru and Chennai in the driver's seat (top 2), realistically speaking, only two spots look open at this juncture of the tournament. Jamshedpur and FC Goa are the two other teams above them in the points table.
"Our chances of qualifying? We knew that we needed to win at Goa and then now against Jamshedpur, we are again playing a team who are very close to us. These are the type of games we cannot lose. Our chances of qualifying continue to be intact but it also depends on other results," he stated.