"We would like to forget the last three matches and move forward" - Head coach Thangboi Singto ahead of Hyderabad FC's visit to Mumbai City
Hyderabad FC travel to take on Mumbai City FC at the Mumbai Football Arena in their fourth game of the ISL season on Saturday (October 28).
The Nawabs have had a disastrous start to the season, losing all the matches that they have played so far. As a result, they are languishing at the bottom of the league table. Mumbai City, on the other hand, are third in the table with seven points inside their kitty.
This might well turn out to be an interesting battle between the two sides, and the Yellow and Blacks are up for a fight, as head coach Thangboi Singto believes.
Speaking to the media on Thursday ahead of the game, Singto mentioned how tough it had been to digest the three losses but how the club needs to move forward as well.
"We just played one home game and another away match is beckoning us. That's football, and we have to accept it. In the last game, I think we deserved to get at least one point. We had the chance to equalize but could not quite do so. We can see that Mumbai is a good team, but if you look at the history and the stats, I think it is even-stevens on sporting terms," said Singto.
Talking about the morale within the team, he added:
"As much as possible, we would like to forget the last three matches and go forward. Against Mumbai, we have to consider that they are a good team but in spite of going down, we have come back strongly in morale. Today's training session was really good. We have a few small issues- Hitesh (Sharma) has a niggle and is in the hospital at the moment
"We are in this together" - Singto on the losses that Hyderabad FC have suffered
Despite playing beautiful football, Hyderabad suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat to Chennaiyin FC at home in their last game. They seemed to lack in offensive capabilities and pressing, which typified their style of play when they won the ISL title in 2021-22.
Addressing the areas his team needs to work on, Sington said:
"(Pressing) is an area where we have lacked and we have worked hard on it. It is easy to get the stats now, and we have to make the players understand how important it is to do that. Now, we have to be focused on being alert in the first fifteen minutes.
"Whatever tactical presentation we have done is in the past when the players take the field. We are in this together, but once the whistle blows, the players are on their own and they have to take up the responsibility. We have tried to improve on our weak areas- we have only scored one goal in three matches- and now, the results have to show."
When asked about the amount of pressure that he must be under after three consecutive losses, Singto seemed to fall back upon the tried and tested phrase of the club being in 'transition'. While it is true, the club itself may fall prey to self-harm due to a lack of impatience.
"Everyone is chipping in. The analysts are giving us a lot of inputs and now it is up to us to work on that. The question now is: how do we convert these into chances and score goals? It is as simple as that. Hopefully, like all the fans, we get to see that moment. The main thing is that even if you don't score, you should not concede," said Singto.
"I think the management understands the situation well. They know that we are a club in transition and they have our best interests at heart. All the players and staff know that and we are here for Hyderabad," he signed off.