ISL 2017: Delhi Dynamos tried hard to re-sign Marcos Tebar, reveals boss Miguel Portugal
Delhi Dynamos are set to kickstart their Indian Super League campaign tomorrow with an away game against FC Pune City. After impressing one and all with their attacking style of play last season, the Dynamos are hopeful of a similar outcome, albeit with a new squad and a new manager in place.
The most important man in the team - Miguel Portugal sounded buoyant ahead of his side's first ISL game and covered a number of issues in his pre-match press conference. Ahead of the game against the Stallions, Portugal said, "It's an important game for us. A test of our preparation for this moment! We have had good time to practice - over 2 months - and learned a lot in pre-season."
Delhi Dynamos travelled to Spain and Qatar for their preseason and then played four more games in India. The Dynamos won only one match in Qatar but all of their matches in India.
On the challenges faced by his side in preseason, Portugal quipped, "The games in Spain tested our personality and character. The boys needed time to adjust to my philosophy. They took time and showed positive results in Qatar. Back home, we needed friendlies to adjust to the conditions and to our home ground and we managed to do that whilst improving our performances."
The former Real Madrid player and technical director, Portugal then praised his opponents, FC Pune City and called them a tough side. Along with Bengaluru FC, the Dynamos boss felt FC Pune City are the team to watch out for. He also reserved some praise for former Delhi players Marcelino and Marcos Tebar who will now be seen in Pune colours.
Portugal revealed that he had tried to sign Tebar during the transfer window but admitted that his side could not match Pune's offer for the last season's Golden Boot winner. Game 5 of the Indian Super League and the first match of gameweek 2 guarantees goals as both the teams have two of the best attacking units on paper along with the fact that both the managers like to play attractive brands of football.