Bhubaneshwar: Odisha FC head coach Stuart Baxter is optimistic about his side’s chances when they take on FC Goa on Saturday(December 11). With three losses and one draw, Odisha are languishing at the 10th spot on the table with just one point from four games.
“If you look at the games in total, the start has been difficult but it’s not been disastrous because if you look at every game we have been competitive at some point in every game. Probably the one game where we were most at sea was the first one against Hyderabad but that’s not strange because we had 13 sessions together,” the 67-year-old stated in a pre-match press conference.
“Even that one, we lost on penalty and that was self-inflicted to a great extent. Even the last one where I was not pleased with about 40 minutes of the game where we were just chasing the ball basically. But in other parts of the game, we were still competitive.”
The Kalinga Warriors had a small gap after playing two back-to-back games on December 3 and 6. The coach has stressed the fact that this has helped the team to do some good work and has changed the mood in the camp. “We feel that we have done some good work. It changes the whole mood when people feel that they are making some progress,” he mentioned.
The encounter against Goa is going to be a tough one and Odisha will have to look at their defence who have been conceding goals in every match. “The striker has been scoring goals and that’s always a problem. The rest of the team is really a team. They have a set way of playing and they stick to it. I think it’s important that you don’t allow them to gain too much momentum. We have to be a constant threat; we have to deal with them properly. They are one of the better teams and in that way, they deserve our respect. We are just working hard to try and get a few more points on the board,” the South African said.
Vinit Rai has been a vital player for Odisha and on Saturday, the India international will once again play a key role. “I think anybody giving their team 48 hours before kick-off is all a bit naïve. Vinit is fully fit and if we find he is fit enough (match-fit) to play the game then he will feature. But, at this moment, we are gonna wait and see if the judgment is that he is fit. If he can take part then he is one of those players who has got an understanding of his role and he takes his responsibility for the good of the team,” Rai said.
Rain has also credited the medical staff for his recovery from the injury. “I want to thank our medical team for helping me to recover and I want to thank God for his grace to recover me as quickly as I can. I am really excited to play the first match in a competitive game under our coach Baxter. I am really looking forward to it,” he added
“I am very thankful to have coach Baxter and Steven Dias and other coaching staff for helping me at every step and to make me understand the game better. I am very keen to learn every day and I just want to grow and help the team. Without fans, the stadiums are very quiet and there is no one to back you up except the coaching staff and your own players. As a professional, we have to accept everything and our job is to just step on the pitch and give our best and help the team to win and achieve the goals and targets which we have for the season.”
South Africa’s Cole Alexander will be a vital cog in the midfield. Rai along with Alexander is hoping to make a change. “It was just my third session today with him (Cole) and while I was out doing my recovery, I used to look to him in the matches, in the training. He is a very energetic guy who can press all day long, to be honest. I am really looking forward to the games to play alongside him and hopefully, I can help the team,” he added.
