Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera reckons Indian football and ISL is a good place to work for coaches. The Spaniard has experience of coaching in the ISL as he was FC Goa’s head coach and also won the ISL league and cup double with Mumbai City FC.
Ergo, Lobera will be looking to make the most of his experience and deliver the goods as a gaffer for the Juggernauts. In fact, Odisha FC was able to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in Hero ISL in the 2022-23 season under the tutelage of Josep Gombau.
The Spaniard revealed what prompted him to join the Kalinga Warriors ahead of the upcoming season.
“I’ve worked with City Football Group (CFG) for the last few seasons. It was a very good experience. But after this, I had the opportunity to have a meeting with Abhik (Chatterjee, general manager) and Rohan (Sharma, owner). After this conversation, I felt like this was a place where I could work because it’s a very good project with very good people. My feeling, at that moment, was that I wanted to work there. The club is growing every day and it is amazing to be a part of this family,” Lobera told Sportskeeda.
Odisha FC has added players like Ahmed Jahouh, Mourtada Fall, Amey Ranawade, Lenny Rodrigues, and their latest signing, Cy Goddard to their squad and Lobera will be looking to get the best out of his team.
“When you are building a new team in a short time and have players who you know very well and they know you, it’s easy to implement a style of play or an idea. It’s helpful for me as a coach and also for the team to have players and persons I have worked with before,” he said.
Lobera wants his team to give their best in every tournament and deliver the goods. The Spaniard revealed their focus will be on the AFC Cup and they will look to come up with a collective show.
“All the competitions are important but we obviously have special feelings for the AFC Cup. It is a very exciting competition for us, we are representing the country. We are trying to achieve something important in this competition,” Lobera stated.
The Spaniard added that Indian football is growing with every year and the youngsters are rising through the ranks.
“Indian football is growing every day. The rules are also helping the players to grow. Every year we are using less foreign players although I believe it is also necessary to use them to increase the level of Indian players. It means a lot when a lot of people want to return to work here. It means that it’s a good place to work,” he commented.
