"They will cause us problems" - Mumbai City FC head coach Des Buckingham talks about the threat of Bengaluru FC
Mumbai City FC have made a mixed start to the new campaign. They started the season with a 3-0 win over Goa. However, they were beaten 3-1 by the Nizams in their second match. Mumbai avenged their defeat against Hyderabad with a resounding 5-1 win against tournament favorites ATK Mohun Bagan.
The win took the Islanders to the top of the league table after three rounds of fixtures. Mumbai City FC will go up against Bengaluru FC, a side that is yet to find its rhythm in the tournament.
Mumbai City FC have done well to adapt to the changes introduced by their new gaffer, Des Buckingham. However, not all results have gone their way. A surprise loss against Hyderabad FC alerted the team to the work that had to be done on the training pitch. They roared back in fine style with a thumping win against the Mariners.
Mumbai's head coach Des Buckingham and defender Amey Ranawade addressed the media ahead of their ISL encounter against Bengaluru FC on Saturday.
Des said:
"We've had a pretty hard start to our season and a short turnaround between games. We find ourselves playing three days after the last one, but the players have pulled up very well. So we've got all players available to us again for this next game."
The Islanders head coach also praised opponents Bengaluru FC. He said:
"Bengaluru FC have got some very good players, play a very good style of football and if we don't prepare ourselves as well as we need to, they will cause us problems. They're coached very well and have some excellent players in their system."
Des also mentioned that there will be no changes in their approach to their game against the Blues. The Mumbai City FC coach added that his side need to be more consistent with and without the ball in the future.
Mumbai City FC defender Amey does not remember much about his injury from last season's ISL final
Amey spoke about his recovery after he was injured during the ISL final last season. He said:
"The problem talking about the injury which I got is I don’t remember that properly like it’s not a good memory for me so I don’t have it in my mind after the injuries and after the final journey. I remember winning the trophy and shield and improving. Our new coach is helping us improve tactically and technically."
The wingback shed some light on the philosophy of his gaffer, Des Buckingham. Amey pointed out that it is similar to what he did under Mumbai City FC's former coach Sergio Lobera.