Mumbai City FC have been one of the strongest forces in the Indian Super League this season as they look to put reigning champions Hyderabad FC under pressure. The Islanders have not taken over the top spot from Manolo Marquez’s men and are the only unbeaten team in the league this season.
Des Buckingham’s men have won five matches out of the eight that they have played and have drawn the other three. Hence they are looking really good as they have scored 23 goals which is the highest goals scored by any team after eight games in ISL history.
Mumbai City’s attack is often talked about but their defence remains underrated but they have locked up the defence with aplomb as they have improved on the areas they needed to and have conceded less goals. One of the primary credit of their improved approach goes to goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa who has been exceptional for the Islanders this season.
The former Shillong Lajong custodian shared how it is a privilege to be a part of this team where there are several great goalkeepers including Bhaskar Roy and Mohammed Nawaz who have also proven their credentials. But Lachenpa’s hardwork has kept him above the two custodians.
“It feels great to be a part of this squad because we had three strong goalkeepers. Bhaskar Roy was one of the best goalkeepers in the I-League last year and (Mohammad) Nawaz because he has been performing for the last 4-5 Hero ISL seasons,” Lachenpa shared on the club’s Youtube channel during an interview.
Lachenpa shared how there’s a good mood among the goalkeepers as they keep on pushing each other to the limit and help each other grow as players. He also credited Rozario, the goalkeeper coach and has shared how his inputs have helped them a lot.
“It’s a tough competition and a healthy competition that we have and if each one of us is pushing each other to our limits, then it benefits us because we can take all positive and negative things from each other. We have a great (goalkeeping coach) in Rozario. We are learning from each other every day and pushing each other to our limits,” he added.
The Sikkim based custodian has full trust in coach Des Buckingham and has urged his team to keep going on his said path and not be complacent as they are at the top of the ISL points table. “We just have to stick to our coach’s football. We are enjoying our football right now. That is the main thing. So, we just have to stick to the coach’s plan and carry this momentum forward by expressing ourselves on the field,” he concluded.
Phurba Lachenpa has grown in stature massively and now he is surely one of the best goalkeepers in the country if we go by statistics from this season. He is getting better every game and Des Buckingham will hope that he continues this form till the end of the season.
