GUWAHATI, Dec 21 - NorthEast United FC coach Joao De Deus was seen frustrated after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Mumbai City FC on Wednesday night at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here in the Indian Super League (ISL).
It was the fourth defeat for the Highlanders in six outings and are sitting at the ninth position with just four points.
The John Abraham owned franchise have so far scored just two goals against seven they have conceded which is a clear indication that their striking power is far below as expected. Their defence line is also not compact and the opponent strikers have been finding enough gap among the defenders. Yesterday, goalkeeper Ravi Kumar had a poor show under the bar as Mumbai City�s Balwant Singh virtually toyed with him.
In the post-match press conference, the Portuguese coach rued his team�s wastefulness in front of goal. He said, �We created so many chances. We should win games because we had more chances than the opponents. My boys came here to get a different result. So let�s work hard, let�s be patient and let�s try to let this moment pass. It is not fair but this is football.�
He, however, defended his tactics. �We have to change the strategy. The problem is the strategy and the players who are playing or the coach who is coaching. We must be better at the front. Less of striking powers making us lose. You don�t need to be an expert to understand that. You don�t have six or seven great opportunities to score. We are disappointed with the results but if you stay depressed with the situation, it is not going to solve anything.�
His players have made a habit of making a mess of goal-scoring chances. �Sometimes, the ball hits the post. Sometimes, it hits the foot or head of an opposition player and we end up not scoring. Let�s try to solve the problem. That�s all I can say,� he said.
De Deus also flayed his defence line. Both goals scored by Mumbai City FC were a result of sloppy defending in both halves. Ravi made a mistake by coming out of the goal when Balwant beat him taking advantage of an empty goal. The same striker doubled Mumbai City�s lead in the second half, with Cameroonian midfielder Achille Emana providing the assist yet again, this time rather selflessly in a two-on-one scenario with the goalkeeper. NEUFC will now travel to Pune, where they face FC Pune City on December 30. Their next home game is some time away � on January 6.
