NorthEast United are at the top of the pile in ISL after winning two games out of three, but they lost their last game to Mumbai City.
Nelo Vingada, United's manager was hopeful of his team's fortunes this season and spoke about the reasons why his side is doing well and also spoke about his team's chances of winning the league title.
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Vingada was in a buoyant mood after arriving in Pune and he said, “It is a great honour to be in Pune and the stadium here is very good with all the facilities. I am impressed by the enthusiasm that this league is garnering as the quality of Indian football will improve with each passing year. Some good games have happened this season as this ISL might be a close affair.”
Four games in 10 days for NorthEast
NorthEast will play their fourth game in 10 days tomorrow and Vinagada’s team have already played the most number of games of the eight teams and will play five games in the season's first two weeks.
“Playing five games in two weeks is not good for the fitness of the squad as it involves both physical and mental aspects of a player's body. But I won't be giving any excuses as we have to abide by the rules of the tournament as organising a tournament is a real tough job.”
“But it is really not fair for NorthEast United to play so many games with the other opponents playing just two games when we will have played four.” he said.
Pune and Goa are strong sides, says Vingada
Vingada also expressed his respect for FC Pune City and said that the Stallions have a lot of good players. He also praised Pune’s performance against Goa, who he also considers a strong side despite being last on the table.
The manager also talked about NorthEast's loss to Mumbai and described it as their best performance under him as he took a lot of positives from that game.
Leicester City will be our example
On NorthEast United's chances of going all the way, he said, “I think we have the lowest budget of all the teams but we have to look at Leicester's example as they beat all the odds and won the league against the might of Manchester clubs and Chelsea.”
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“We too have made some smart investment and have to look at this season game by game. For me, the match against Pune is a final for me as I don't look beyond that. "
With the upcoming fame being NorthEast United's fourth game in ten days, some changes are expected in their starting lineup along against Pune City.
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