Mumbai, December 18: Mumbai City FC captain Lallianzuala Chhangte has expressed confidence in his team’s ability to strike back into contention to realise their ambitions in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25. Speaking to the ISL, Chhangte opened up about tactician Petr Kratky’s coaching style, spoke highly about the transformative impact of the ISL, and reflected on his journey from playing the sport on the streets of Mizoram to becoming one of the leading faces of India’s top-tier football competition.
Mumbai City FC have endured an indifferent run so far, winning four times and drawing five matches out of their 11 encounters this season. With 17 points to their name, they sit at the seventh spot in the points table. The Islanders are in the middle of a slight transition with multiple key stars such as Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Alberto Noguera, Rahul Bheke, amongst others, parting ways with the club in the summer.
That is reflected with them scoring 14 goals thus far, which is the fourth-least in the league. However, with the incoming signings having had ample time to settle into the setup now, Chhangte believes that the team will begin getting back in the groove soon. He hailed the work that Kratky carries out with the domestic players in the contingent, saying that he is the kind of coach that players want to give extra efforts for in the field.
“Petr has changed several things, especially the mentality of the players, particularly that of Indian players. He gives you responsibilities and then you have to carry that off every single game. He demands a lot – both on and off the field. Petr trusts everyone and he wants us to enjoy the game. It’s very important because if you have got a coach that trusts you, then you want to give more for both the team as well as the coach,” Chhangte said.
“We are still in a good position to compete in the league. We are going to work hard and it’s important to take one game at a time,” he added.
“ISL clubs have invested in coaches, infrastructure, and players”
Chhangte has been one of the finds of the ISL, playing 155 matches in the league, scoring 41 goals and recording 21 assists. He is the second highest Indian goal-scorer in the competition, only bettered by Sunil Chhetri, who has 69 strikes to his name. Since Chhetri called time on his international career, Chhangte is touted to assume a central role for the national team too. The Mumbai City FC star, hence, sees a direct correlation between the growth of the ISL and the potential development in the performances of the Blue Tigers too.
“In the last few years, ISL clubs have been investing more in foreign coaches, good infrastructure, and in more quality players. These factors will help us improve from a national team perspective too. If it goes on like this, I strongly believe that the Indian Super League will be one of the top leagues in Asia,” Chhangte said.
Indian Super League is being streamed live free on JioCinema (English, Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam) and telecast live on Sports 18 — 3 (English, Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam), Asianet Plus (Malayalam). Additionally Sports 18 — 1, Sports 18 — 2; with Sports 18 — Khel and Star Sports 3 also telecasting select ISL matches LIVE.
