ISL 2020-21: Sergio Lobera - My style of play is non-negotiable

Sergio Lobera's Mumbai City have had a limping start to their campaign in the Indian Super League (ISL). Although they won against FC Goa after going down to NorthEast United in the first game, their performance was far from convincing. The coach asserted that he is not going to change his philosophy and his team needs to pull up their socks to implement his ideas. 

"The most important thing as a coach is to implement my style. It is non-negotiable. I try to make the best of the quality that I have. To implement a new idea will take time. The short pre-season made things more difficult. We had only three sessions with the full squad. But this is no excuse. We need to be competitive and win games. We have to implement our style of play.

"We lost possession a lot of times in the previous match. It is very important to keep the ball. Losing the ball makes the game very open. That is not an ideal situation for us. All games are important to win. It gives you confidence. Everyone wants to win as this is a short season. We have to get more points as soon as possible. I'm happy with the response from my team after losing the first game," stated the Spaniard. 

East Bengal, who are Mumbai City's opponents in the next game on Tuesday evening, have a new-look squad with a new coach at the helm in Robbie Fowler. But Lobera does not want to take them lightly and believes that the Red and Golds have enough firepower to challenge the Islanders. 

"They are new in the league but they are a very good team. We need to work very well to win the match. We need to improve. You can have a new team but with experienced players, you can adapt quickly to different situations. Both teams are ambitious and are in the same position. It is a very competitive league. 

"Our plan is the same for East Bengal.  We do not want to make the mistakes that we made in the last two games. I want possession on the ball. I want to create chances. It will not be easy to find spaces. We have to be good at transitions. It will not be an easy game tomorrow," stated the former Las Palmas manager. 

Lobera heaped praise on Mandar Rao Dessai, his trusted lieutenant who plays as a left-back position. The Goan player is set to play his 100th game in ISL against East Bengal and his coach had nothing but praise for him. 

"At Goa, we wanted offensive full-backs. They needed to arrive in attacking positions and we looked to make the most of it. He is a very good player. He can play in the national team in this position. I am happy with the performance. He has achieved great things. He can help a lot in this position. When (Subhasish) Bose left (Mumbai City), Mandar was the best option to replace him and we are happy that he chose to come with us," said Lobera. 

Mandar is also happy that he has been able adapt to the new position of a left-back as opposed to being a winger earlier in his career. He also spoke of how India coach Igor Stimac also likes his attributes as a left-back.

"It is important for a player to play as many games as possible. The next game will be my 100th. I dedicate this to my teammates and coaches. There have been so many players who are playing since the beginning of ISL. Two years ago, my position was changed from being a winger to playing as a left-back. The coach believed in me more than myself and I am continuing as a left-back. The national team coach (Igor Stimac) also likes the way I play. I am growing as a player. I am doing well but I look to do better," said the defender. 

But Mandar abstained from comparing FC Goa and Mumbai City under Lobera as he thinks the dynamics of the two teams are different. 

"It is completely different. But we want to work on the same lines. We are adapting well to the coach's philosophy. We will do it in a couple of days. As games go by, we will achieve that," signed off the defender.