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In match no 44 of the Indian Super League (ISL) there were many 'if's' and 'but's' that were played out on the field. For Kolkata it was more of a point gained as it was two points lost for Pune. And yet there was a sense of incompleteness in both the camps as they came in to address the media during the post match conference.
While Kolkata took the stage first, head coach Antonio Lopez with a tired smile mentioned that while he was happy with the result, he wasn't happy with the performance. “We gave the ball away too easily. And when we did get chances we were shut down very effectively by them (Pune). The draw was a good result, but the performance was not so good.”
He was joined in the conference by Miguel Martinez, the team's physical trainer. While Martinez was not critical of the team's performance, he was worried about the toll the tournament was taking on the players.
Physically demanding for both players and coaches
“Over the next 20 days, the teams which make it to the finals will play six matches. It is physically very demanding for the players as well as the coaching staff to ensure that they are all in peak condition,” said Martinez.
Another point that Lopez spoke about was the refereeing. While he was initially reluctant to comment on the same, he mentioned that the overall standard of refereeing in the ISL hasn't been very great. “That has severely impacted results at times (with an obvious reference to their previous game against Kerala). It (refereeing) has not been that great,” he said.
Taking it one match at a time: Franco Colomba
On the other hand when FC Pune City's head coach Franco Colomba came in there were no signs of frustration at having not sealed off the game against Kolkata. He mentioned that the team played well but its not a easy road to the top. “We have had a couple of bad results but today was very good. We had chances to win the game but we failed to win it. But that is how football is. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.” he said.
He was joined in the conference with Mehrajuddin Wadoo, who spoke about his role in the midfield. “I was tasked with not just going ahead and creating chances but also falling back and defending. It was a good game and my team mates helped me a lot in closing down Fikru and Garcia,” he said.
Colomba, whose side plays back to back three home matches didn't appear very worried with the home side languishing in the seventh position. He said, “The point difference between all the teams is very less and we are having a good tournament as of now.
There is a real chance that we can make it to the playoffs if we win a couple of games. There were many chances that were squandered today but we will take every game as it comes.”
