Delhi Dynamos played out an entertaining tie against NorthEast United in the national capital yesterday evening and maintained their unbeaten record this ISL.
The match also saw the referee, Ali Abdulnabi dishing out 8 yellow cards, with the home side being cautioned thrice. When questioned about the refereeing decisions on the night the Italian coach, chose to be diplomatic replying, “Sometimes the referee can get decisions wrong”. Instead he conceded that the NorthEast team were better on the night especially when it came to winning the ball.
The Italian started off his managerial career with Chiasso as an assistant before taking over as head coach. He replaced Roberto Carlos this term and since then has altered the defensive shape of the team. This has resulted in only two goals being conceded over the course of Delhi’s first three games.
Zambrotta complimented the NorthEast side for being quick on the ball and harrowing his side throughout the game. This led to a tactical change in which the Delhi team chose to play out from the back
After the game, Delhi coach, Gianluca Zambrotta was questioned about the tactics that his side employed and his decision to leave out Florent Malouda from the starting line-up. Before the game Zambrotta had promised to set out his players to play a balanced game, stating, "My plan will be 11 players playing defensive as well as attacking football."
Speaking about Florent Malouda, the coach stated, “Last year was last year and the dropping of Malouda from the starting line up was more of a tactical decision”. He further assured that the Frenchman continues to be an integral member of the squad and currently isn’t carrying any injury as well.
He went on to reiterate the importance of the Frenchman and mentioned Gadze and Marcos as vital members to the squad alongside the likes of Kevin Lewis, who was the goal scorer for Delhi on the night.
The Delhi coach emphasized the importance of all players in the squad and explained his decision to substitute Badji for Gadze. He went on to say, “The decision to play Gadze was a different way to play as the player has different characteristics in comparison to that of Badji”.
Towards the end when the coach was asked for his viewpoint about the result, the Italian chose to give a non-committal answer. Instead, he explained that he was “happy” with certain players and their performances and conceded that NorthEast side was the best team at the moment.
Zambrotta speaking through his interpreter rued the missed opportunities before concluding that, “this is football”.
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