Players deserve all the credit: Coach

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Sporting Clube de Goa look a dangerous outfit under coach Oscar Bruzon.

From the jaws of relegation to the top-six in the I-League, Sporting Clube de Goa’s journey has been a remarkable one, ever since coach Oscar Bruzon took over. The Spanish coach talks about about the recovery, the difficulties faced, role of the players and his philosophy, besides other aspects of the game.
Excerpts:

How do you describe Sporting’s transformation in the last few months?
It has been all because of the hard work in practice sessions. All of that has reflected in the team’s remarkable comeback. We won five matches on the trot, beating the likes of Dempo and Churchill Brothers. We shouldn’t forget that a few months ago, we were fighting relegation. The credit goes to each and every player, who followed my instructions, gelled well and played as a unit. After all, it’s all about the players.

What was your strategy?
I stress a lot on training sessions as I feel that is the most important part. My job is to assess each and every player and the team collectively and motivate them to see that they stay happy. The psychological part is very important. When I took over, I found drooping shoulders and a general lack of confidence. I make my players do match-related drills more often. It is not worth training for long hours doing mostly exercises. Players need to learn the art of decision-making which stays the most crucial aspect of football.

Describe your journey so far.
It was very difficult initially. I had trained with this team back in December 2011 so I somewhat knew the players. I mixed with the group and boosted them psychologically. You need to hold your heads high otherwise no plan will work. I had to start from scratch because as I said, the players were clearly not in the right shape. The rest is history.

Tell us about your new Spanish recruits, striker Juan Francisco García Peña and defender Angel Berlanga.
It’s not about two or three players but the whole group. But yes, both Juan and Angel are extremely talented. I would like to pick Juan for special praise. His footballing acumen is exceptional. Angel too is a good defender and his anticipation is commendable. He is a motivator on the pitch too. These two have made a lot of difference.

What is your aim for this season?
The aim is to go unbeaten for the rest of the matches and if we can do that, it will be amazing. From the relegation zone, we are now in the top half of the table. We have beaten the Goan heavyweights and have achieved a lot. Now, we intend to perform well against the Kolkata-based clubs. We have matches against Mohun Bagan and East Bengal coming up.