Vasco: Even if Churchill Brothers – tenth among 13 teams at the moment – finish among the top five, courtesy of playing their next four matches at home, the season would still count as failure.
Nobody knows it better than Mario Soares, the long-standing assistant coach at the club. With Francesc Bonet suspended, the former India midfielder will take charge of the team for the clash against Real Kashmir FC at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco on Sunday.
“We play the next four games at home, and if we win them all, we can finish fourth or fifth in the league,” Soares told TOI during the pre-match media interaction on Saturday. “But that still won’t count as success. Churchill always fights for trophies, titles. This year things have not gone right. We have changed foreigners, brought in new players, but didn’t work.”
Churchill’s
foreign players
this season have left a lot to be desired. With the sacking of Argentinean coach Edgardo Malvestiti, the club also released three foreign players. All of them were quickly replaced, but the new signings are yet to find their feet.
“It’s the foreign players who have to carry the team on their shoulders. This is the main thing in Indian football. If you want to have a good campaign, challenge for the title, stay in the race, good foreigners are needed. No doubt, we have good Indian players. We have done well for the last three games, but lack of goals, and luck, has held us back,” said Soares.
The last three games have been managed by Bonet, a young Spanish coach who has had stints at three different clubs in India. He started with a loss against title contenders Sreenidi Deccan at home, and even though Churchill have played well in their last two games, they’ve been forced to settle for draws.
It won’t be easy for them against Real Kashmir either, never mind that they carved out a win in the away clash, thanks to one of the best performances from Churchill this season.
“We know Churchill can be very tough opponents, but if we have to move towards fulfilling our dream of winning the
I-League
, this is a must win game,” said Real Kashmir coach Ishfaq Ahmed. “We have six away games in a row now with all top teams. That’s our big test. If we get a positive result against Churchill, it will help us a great deal.”
Jolted by the sudden death of club owner Sandeep Chatto, Real Kashmir were unsure of their future. When the league resumed, they started training just three days before the clash against Mohammedan Sporting, a game they won 3-0 to hand the league favourites their first defeat.
“It was very difficult for the club. We were not sure (of the future). Thankfully, the family took the responsibility to continue. The boys have got their salaries, which is very important for me as a coach. We want to finish the season on a high,” said Ishfaq.
Midfielder Lalramdinsanga Ralte echoed similar sentiments.
“After the club owner’s death, we feel there’s no change. We are continuing just like the late club owner wanted us to move ahead. We are not ruling ourselves out of the title race,” said Ralte.
The gap between Real Kashmir and Mohammedan now is 11 points, though the leaders have played two extra games. Sunday’s game will show which way the campaign is headed.
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