Odisha FC will take on neighbours SC East Bengal in their last game of the ongoing seventh season of the Hero Indian Super League in Goa. Interim Head Coach Steven Dias attended the Pre-Match Press Conference ahead of their last game of the season against the Red and Gold Brigade and stated that the Kalinga Warriors will give their best to end the season on a good note.
“They also didn’t have a good season like us. I think they will also come to win this match, we also want to win this match so we can end on a better note. I am trying to keep the boys motivated in training sessions, in the meetings. They look ready, we are ready. Hopefully, it’s going to be a very good match because both teams will look for a win to end on a good note. We will give our best,” Coach Steven Dias said during the virtual media interaction.
When asked about the season not being a good one for the Bhubaneswar-based club, he replied, “The biggest thing I find this season is when Coach Baxter came out of quarantine he didn’t get much time to work with the boys. What is his game plan? What is his strategy? That is the biggest thing I feel because of the bad season. I feel if he would have got more chance and a good time to work with boys, this season would have been better than this.”
“When you have a bad season there is always good to learn so many things out of this bad season. That’s what we are all doing. This season isn’t that good for us but there are so many things to learn from this season so we can get better next season,” he further added.
“Personally for me, there were so many things to learn especially under Coach Stuart Baxter and the later Interim Coach Gerald Peyton. This is my learning experience. I feel professional coaching is all about man-management, how to manage this team. The way Coach Baxter managed this team is something to learn. I learnt so many things from him and as a young coach I am still learning,” the 37-year-old former international midfielder commented.
The player-turned coach concluded with a message for The Juggernauts and Odisha FC fans across the globe. He said, “As a player and as a coach, I feel that the fans are the most important thing in any sport, not just football. This season, one of the biggest things I feel about the bad season is that we don’t have any fans to cheer for us. Fans can’t come for the match. When you have a bad match, the fans come, they cheer for you, they come with Odisha FC jerseys and that’s where the players get motivation. I have got only one message for the fans.”
“I know we really had a bad season this year. Just keep faith in us, just believe us. There are so many things to learn. We will work where we went wrong, we will try to correct and try to play better football than this. Just keep the faith and believe in us and keep supporting us, we will definitely give you all reason to cheer and celebrate next year.”
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