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New Mumbai City FC (MCFC) coach Des Buckingham, without a strand of doubt, has big boots to fill. Buckingham has taken over from Sergio Lobera, who guided the Islanders to the Indian Super League (ISL) title as well as the League Winners' Shield.
The Englishman, however, does not believe the upcoming season will be a failure if MCFC fail to defend either or both of their titles from the previous campaign. Speaking at a virtual press conference ahead of the commencement of the new season, Buckingham said:
"I can't give you a 'yes' or 'no' answer, but I personally wouldn't see it as a failure. That (retaining the titles) is something we're all striving towards though, the playing group, the staff and the club. It's about the way we go about that in the field."
The 36-year-old also spoke about what he has noticed from the MCFC squad during pre-season. Buckingham stated that the club's pre-season has largely been about testing new waters.
"Pre-season's always an interesting one, especially when you only get a short period - we've had four weeks and we've played four games. We've used it very much to try a few different things, try different players in different positions and add to the playing style the team successfully had last year."
He added that MCFC needed to "evolve" as a team despite enjoying a successful campaign last year to avoid becoming too predictable this time around.
"When there's a way of doing things, like the team and club showed last year, [other teams] can start to almost know what to expect from you. So, it's important we evolve and add to that and that's what we spent our four pre-season games trying to do."
Buckingham was also asked if any players in particular impressed him in pre-season. However, the 36-year-old refused to namedrop any individuals.
"I won't pull out any individuals because we're still working towards the game against [FC] Goa. But they've all been very positive, very open-minded and have adapted hugely well to the changes that have happened over the last four weeks. I think we're in a very good space to start the season."
Mourtada Fall will be our captain: Des Buckingham announces MCFC leadership group for the 2021-22 ISL season
Buckingham was also asked if he and his staff had decided who the leadership group would consist of for MCFC this season. Buckingham replied:
"We've done a lot of work in the last four weeks off the field. We had a change of captain off the back of a very successful season. We've involved the players in the decision-making processes because they're a huge part of what we do here."
An official press release revealing the leadership group is set to be announced later today. But the MCFC boss was happy to disclose it a few hours earlier at the press conference.
"We have taken feedback from the players as well as the staff and we will have two vice-captains in Rowllin (Borges) and Mandar (Rao Desai). They will be led by our captain, who will be announced this afternoon - Mourtada (Fall)."
It's worth noting that Fall and Desai joined MCFC only last season and played crucial roles in their title win. Borges, meanwhile, has been with the Islanders since 2019.
"I see it as a really exciting time to be involved in Indian football" - New MCFC boss Des Buckingham
Buckingham's most prolific stint came with A-League side Wellington Phoenix. He took over the team during the 2016-17 season, becoming the youngest manager in Australian top-flight history at 31 years of age. Buckingham also spent some time as assistant manager of the New Zealand men's football team.
However, he is very excited with the way the ISL has progressed over the years. Buckingham said:
"It's (ISL) in the eighth season; it's extended already from what was a two or three-month competition into a six or seven-month one which includes the (AFC) Champions League, so it's still growing. But the way it's growing and how fast it's growing is exciting to see. I see it as a really exciting time to be involved in Indian football."
Des Buckingham and MCFC will kick off their 2021-22 ISL campaign with a clash against FC Goa on Monday, November 22.
