"All of our players are leaders" - Mumbai City coach Petr Kratky speaks highly of his team ahead of tie with Chennaiyin FC | Kalinga Super Cup 2024

Mumbai City FC, settled comfortably at the top of Group C in the Kalinga Super Cup, will take on Chennaiyin FC in their final group stage game at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

The Islanders have six points inside their kitty at the moment after wins over Gokulam Kerala and Punjab FC, and are highly favoured to qualify for the semifinal.

To be sure, Mumbai City need just a draw to qualify whereas their opponents, who have four points inside their kitty, will have to win to progress further in this tournament.

Mumbai City's newly appointed head coach Petr Kratky spoke exclusively to Sportskeeda on Saturday about the plans he has for them and how he has adapted to the culture in India.

Kratky took over from the departing Des Buckingham and the Islanders have done fairly well since his appointment. However, success in the Super Cup will be one of the key- if early- markers of his work with the club.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. You have been at the club for about a month and a half now. What are your initial thoughts?

Kratky: It has been fantastic here. I am very happy I came here. I have got a bit of insight from the past since I was a part of the City group already (Kratky arrived in Mumbai from Melbourne City). It is a fantastic club, and I am quite pleased. I have been extremely impressed so far, and hopefully, we will keep getting better.

Q. Do you think you have got enough time to implement your philosophy?

Kratky: My philosophy is similar to what was here in the past. Yes, I have brought myself on board, so there are a few changes. Slowly, we are getting better, and I know that we will improve as time progresses. Quite naturally, if I get more time with them, we will have more training sessions and more one-on-one sessions, and we will improve a lot from them.

Q. Have you have been able to communicate openly with the players regarding what you want from them? Have they managed to understand what your demands are?

Kratky: Well, I hope so. Everyone is different and we are dealing with everyone differently. Sometimes we show videos to them while sometimes we talk to them as a group. If need be, we talk to them personally too. Everybody is getting on board with the ideas we want to implement, and with time, things will only get better.

Q. What do you make of the quality of players on offer here in Mumbai City?

Kratky: The quality of players here is very good. Yes, there is some room for improvement for sure, but there is no complaint about the quality of the players on offer. I am extremely impressed, but again, we have to keep working hard and get better than what we are now.

Petr Kratky took over from Des Buckingham at Mumbai City.

Q. Who do you think are real leaders in the dressing room? Who are the players you can count on when there is a crisis in the dressing room?

Kratky: I think all of our players are leaders. Sure, the seniors are more vocal in the dressing room and on the field, and that is good. Say, Rostyn (Griffiths) or Rahul (Bheke) - the captain - they have been fantastic for the club for so long now. I think everyone in our club is a leader inside and it is only the way they express themselves that is different. Some like to show with their actions on the pitch while some show it with their voice.

Q. Since you mention Rostyn Griffiths, can you tell us a little bit about him and the relationship you share with him?

Kratky: Yes, I have already worked with him in the past, and I know his family as well as where he comes from. He is a really good player and since I know him already, he helped me a lot when I first arrived at the club.

He introduced me to the culture here in India and explained a lot of things. We share an excellent relationship. He is a very good person, and the overview he gave when I first came here so that I could understand the players and the staff was invaluable. Not to mention the fact that he is an excellent player.

Q. Qualifying for the semi-final and hopefully going on to win the Super Cup- can there be a better way to mark your arrival in Mumbai?

Kratky: Yes, there would be no better way, but we need to take it game-by-game. I will be very pleased if we win the trophy but we need to take each day as it comes.

First, we need to win this game, and then take it from there. I want to win as much as I can, but I am preparing for this game against Chennaiyin first. We are here to win the Cup, but we need to focus on every match.