From Our Special Correspondent
GUWAHATI, Sep 4: NorthEast United Football Club (NEUFC) will adopt a ‘grounded strategy’ in the upcoming ISL 2024-25 season, despite recently winning the Durand Cup.
Addressing the media on ISL 2024-25 Media Day in Kolkata on Wednesday, NorthEast United FC head coach Juan Pedro Benali said, “Trophies do not help you play better or worse. You need to prepare for the last game of your life.”
“We are now starting to realize what we did in the Durand Cup! But now, we look forward to the ISL, and there’s another story that’s waiting for us in the coming season. Trophies and statistics of the past don’t make you play better. You are only as good as your last game,” Benali emphasized.Notably, the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season will officially kick off on September 13, 2024, marking the start of the league 132 days after the previous season ended on May 4.Referring to the opening ISL 2024-25 encounter with ISL debutants Mohammedan Sporting on September 16, Benali said, “Mohammedan Sporting is a strong team with a good mix of Indian and foreign players.”Last season, the trio of NorthEast United, Punjab FC, and Jamshedpur FC ignited an exciting late challenge for the playoffs, falling short at the final hurdle. Since then, the Highlanders, as NEUFC is also known, have gone from strength to strength, winning the club’s first trophy with the Durand Cup last month.Asked whether he had any mantra for the Highlanders in ISL 2024-25, Benali said, “For us, every game is like a final. In modern football, you are only focused on the week ahead, or the next game. Now, we are only focused on the game against Mohammedan Sporting.”
Reflecting on last season, Benali added, “We have a young team that is learning. We don’t want to put pressure on our team and our players. At the same time, we need to remember the setbacks of last season. We need to work hard in every game. This is ISL, not the Durand Cup. Any mistake on our part will hurt us. We need to minimize mistakes and work on not repeating them.” He further mentioned that he would refrain from singling out any promising youngsters in his team.
The Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 Media Day began in Kolkata with representatives from seven clubs—Mohun Bagan Super Giant, East Bengal FC, Mohammedan SC, Odisha FC, Jamshedpur FC, and NorthEast United FC—previewing the upcoming season.
The event saw a blend of new and familiar faces, with Mohun Bagan’s Jose Molina and Punjab FC’s Panagiotis Dilmperis making their ISL debuts as head coaches, while veterans like Sergio Lobera, Khalid Jamil, Juan Pedro Benali, and Carles Cuadrat discussed their strategies for the campaign.