ISL 2023-24: The aggression we showed in defence makes me happy – Punjab FC’s Staikos Vergetis

Punjab FC’s head coach Staikos Vergetis was pleased with the aggression his team showed in defence in a goalless draw against Jamshedpur FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Sunday. The Shers picked up their first away point in the ongoing Indian Super League.

Punjab FC took two shots on target but could not convert them. In fact, the visitors had 48.2% of possession but failed to create many chances. However, the tourists were tight in their defensive line.

“I am satisfied with the performance of my players. In the defensive third, we were more aggressive with the concept of sacrifice. This gave me a better feeling than the previous games,” he said after the game.

“We were more soft defensively in the previous games and were making many mistakes in our defensive thirds, but we improved today. This gave me happiness. Regarding the result, Jamshedpur FC created chances, we had some moments but most of those were wasted,” he added summarising the game.

Vergetis reckons his team needs to work on their offense and they need to come up with a collective show to get the job done for the team.

“We didn’t pass the ball well into our attacking third as well as we were doing in the second halves of previous matches. This is because of the opponent,” he said.

“We want to work on our defensive performance and improve our build-up and pass the ball into the attacking third a lore more,” he added looking ahead to their next game.

The Greek head coach also lauded Jamshedpur’s crowd for staying till the last moment.

“It’s a very nice stadium and the environment that they created is very good for football. This is football for me,” he said.

“It was also an interesting game and the crowd were in it till the last second. It is very important that the people who come to the stadium enjoy the game,” he concluded.

Punjab FC will next play against Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai on Sunday.