Chennaiyin FC head coach Bozidar Bandovic was defiant in his team's defence despite successive defeats in their last two Indian Super League matches ahead of their clash against Jamshedpur FC on Sunday.
The duel will have added spice after Chennaiyin FC signed Nerijus Valskis from Jamshedpur FC on Saturday even though the Lithuanian will miss the match due to quarantine requirements.
Talking about the new recruit, Nerijus Valskis, Bandovic said that he is a player with 'good character'.
"I have known Valskis for many years and of course at this moment, we were looking for a foreigner because in the first half of the season we played with five foreigners. So we were looking for someone who gets us goals. He is a good player, a good character, he knows the team. He was the best option that we could have gone with. He comes with a one-day quarantine so from January 8 he will be ready and he will train with us from tomorrow. He needs help from his teammates to adapt in the team very quickly. But he knows the league and it's a very good option for us," said Bozidar Bandovic in a pre-match press conference as per the ISL website.
The head coach said that the team hasn't made any decision about replacing goal-keeper Vishal Kaith and will be giving him another chance.
"I think you need to wait for Sunday. Of course, he made some mistakes but we will decide later. As I said, mistakes will happen but you need to learn from the mistakes. As you see it's happening with many teams. These things need time and it can't happen in days. I am thinking about the issue and we will see," said the head coach.
"As a coach, I don't change goalkeepers. I always support the players but I also need to think about what is the best for the team. If playing Debjit Majumder is best for the team, I will do it as no one is above the team. Everyone is trying their best including Vishal. Everyone was pointing fingers at him when we lost the match but there were other mistakes too," he added.
Bandovic further said that the team is prepared for their clash against Jamshedpur FC.
"Like every team, we have done our preparation. At this moment it's difficult to play every 3-4 days. But our team is quite capable of this. We will recover and they are a strong team playing direct football, with high pressing and using the second balls," said Bandovic.
"They are very good at set-pieces and some players you need to take care of individually. We will be ready for tomorrow even though we have some problems. We will have to play with four foreigners but we will be ready," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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