RoundGlass Punjab FC’s new coach Ed Engelkes may be new to Indian football but the experienced Dutchman has utilized his brief stay in the country so far in analyzing his side’s potential threats in the ongoing I-League.
As such the fifth-placed Punjab FC will be up against a young Indian Arrows, who, notwithstanding their 11th spot in the points table, could pose a few challenges in their Wednesday’s contest at the Naihati Stadium in Bengal.
Engelkes doesn’t want to discount the level of threats from any team, irrespective of their standings, as he feels the Arrows are a bunch of “skillful” young players who put in a lot of energy.
The Arrows have managed to pull off three draws in their last three matches, and as such the 58-year-old Punjab coach warns his outfit against any kind of complacency when they take the field. RoundGlass Punjab are fresh from a nerve-wracking 3-2 comeback win against Sudeva Delhi FC.
“We try to prepare for every game in the same way. We have seen the team play, they are skillful, and they want to build up and put a lot of energy. So, it is going to be challenging for us,” said Engelkes.
He further added, “It’s a competition which is close, and everybody can win against each other, so you have to give your best performance in each game.”
The coach was accompanied by defender Aakash Sangwan, who felt that the team deserved credit for pulling off a heist after conceding a goal in the first half.
“We didn’t start really well in the first half, but in the second half, the team showed great fighting spirit to come back, and there were a lot of positives and negatives to take from the game,” he said.
On the other hand, the head coach of the Indian Arrows, Shanmugam Venkatesh, while assessing his team’s performance in the previous few weeks, said, “In football, the most important thing is how one is going to handle the pressure. The boys are now getting more ideas on how to handle the pressure.”
Venkatesh is unperturbed despite his team managing only a solitary win in their eight outings so far.
“The environment is really good in the team, and we are more confident and mentally even stronger. The boys are getting really good, and in the last match, we got so much experience against Real Kashmir. Next, the boys have one more opportunity to prove themselves against RoundGlass Punjab,” he said.
“The boys have one more good opportunity to play such a good team, and RoundGlass Punjab have good foreigners and experienced players from ISL as well. The boys can take experience and can also play good football against a technically strong team,” he concluded.
