'Matches against UAE, Oman will be helpful' - Pritam Kotal praises AIFF for arranging friendly matches ahead of World Cup qualifiers

Pritam Kotal had a decent outing with ATK Mohun Bagan in their maiden season in the Indian Super League (ISL) this season. Yet the campaign turned out to be a disappointment for the Bengali defender as the Mariners missed out on the title by a whisker after losing against Mumbai City in the final.

Kotal, who is currently in Dubai with the Indian national side, wants to look forward and do well for the national side in the upcoming friendly matches against Oman and UAE.

The 27-year-old defender is happy to don the national colours after a prolonged period and thanked the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for organising the friendly games.

"We have two important matches lined up," Kotal told Goal. "We have to play well in those matches. We are in a national camp after almost one-and-half years. Credit to AIFF that they have organised the camp amidst the pandemic. Now we have to make the most of this opportunity as we have three World Cup qualifiers in June. This is a short camp and this will definitely help in team building and team understanding.

"There are also many new faces in the camp so the faster we get into a rhythm and understand each other the better for us. The matches against UAE and Oman will be of great help. We have to get the maximum out of those three matches. The target is to at least qualify for the third round of the AFC Asian Cup."

The defender congratulated Mumbai City on winning both the ISL League Winners Shield and the title and opined that the Kolkata club needs to learn from the mistakes they committed against the Islanders.

"We have to learn from the losses against Mumbai. We have to improve as a team. Mumbai is undoubtedly a very good team. The two best teams played in the final. We put up a good fight. People have watched the match and they know what happened in the 90 minutes. But I will definitely congratulate Mumbai City FC and wish them all the best for the AFC Champions League," said Kotal, who is among ATK Mohun Bagan's leadership group.

Both at ATK FC and now ATK Mohun Bagan, Pritam Kotal has been deployed in numerous positions in the backline by coach Antonio Habas. The Spaniard had even fielded Kotal as a left-back this season.

But the experienced campaigner mentioned that he cherishes playing under coach Habas and does not mind playing in multiple positions as long as he can continue to contribute to the team's success.

"I always want to improve every year. Sometimes I get the result and sometimes you fail. But I always give my 100 per cent, be it in training or in matches. In the previous season, I played as a right centre-back and right back and in this season coach used me as a left-back as well.

"I thank him (Antonio Habas) for the trust that he has shown in me. I trained well and was feeling comfortable as a centre back. Then when the coach changed formation to 4-4-2 I slotted in as a right-back.  Again when Subhasish (Bose) got injured I played as a left-back. In today's football, you have to be versatile. You cannot stick to a single position. Your job is to give your coach as many options as possible. I hope to help the national team as well in the same spirit."

It was a difficult ISL season for all the teams and every single player due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The clubs were kept in bio-bubbles for more than five months. Kotal mentioned how life in the bubble was challenging for them but despite all the difficulties they enjoyed playing football in Goa.

"This ISL was the most mentally demanding one. More than physical fitness, you had to remain fit psychologically and mentally. A big thank you to ISL that they organised the tournament. The most important thing was to get back on the field. FSDL (Football Sports Development Ltd) made that possible.

"But no doubt, that this was the most difficult season. We are playing a result-oriented sport. When you lose you want your family and friends beside you. Getting up every day, going to train and back in the hotel was difficult. But this was a very small price to pay because, in the end, we got to play football which we love the most," said the right full-back.