'Very difficult to win 8 games in 10' - Sergio Lobera pleased with Mumbai City FC's start to the ISL season

Mumbai City coach Sergio Lobera expects a tough challenge against Hyderabad FC when the two sides go up against each other in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) season on Saturday. 

The Islanders had defeated Manuel Marquez's side 2-0 courtesy of strikes by Vignesh Dakshinamurthy and Adam le Fondre when they met in the reverse fixture earlier this season. However, ever since, Hyderabad have seen injured players like Lluis Sastre and Joel Chianese come back into the side. They have since gone on to amass two more wins and are well within the mix for a top four finish.

"I'm sure it's going to be a good game. They play a similar style (to ours). They have very good Indian players and also very experienced foreign players. It's going to be a different game (from the first leg) because they have recovered a lot of players and have a full squad now. But the most important thing for us is to focus on our style of play and to keep possession of the ball will be very important for us," Lobera pointed out.

The former FC Goa coach went on to praise his side after picking up a record 25 points from 10 games. However, he insisted that his team still needs to improve.

"I am very happy with the results so far. It's very difficult to win eight games in 10 games. It's very difficult to keep this situation but the most important thing for us is not on the table but on improving our performance. We need to understand that there is a lot of work to do in the next few months," he said.

"I'm very happy and proud of my players. It's not easy to implement our style of play in a short time at a new club with 24 new players. The level of Indian players is very important if you want to achieve something. They are improving day by day and want to learn every day. If we want to win trophies, the level of our Indian players has to be high throughout the season."

Lobera has a selection headache that every coach would love to have. The performances of players like Vignesh and Bartholomew Ogbeche whenever called upon has been impressive. The Nigerian forward, in particular, scored his fourth goal of the season against ATK Mohun Bagan last time out as Mumbai opened a five-point lead at the top.

Ogbeche maintained, "Even though I didn't play in every game, I prepare as if I am starting. The team's goal is more than the individual goals. So I'm always ready and you can always count on me."

"After 10 games, it's been a great experience but we are no different from the other teams in terms of the preseason that we had. But in the short time we had, we have shown a lot of progress with respect to the style of play the coach (Lobera) wants us to play. The most exciting part for me is that there is a lot of room for improvement," he added.