Indian Super League: Aim to play tough with flair, says FC Pune City's Ranko Popovic

Pune: Indian Super League outfit FC Pune City’s newly-appointed manager Ranko Popovic has already set his sights on the upcoming season, saying that his team’s main motive will be to win matches.

For Popovic, who replaced former chief Antonio Lopez Habas, this will be his first stint with an Indian football franchise. The former Real Zaragoza manager said “It is going to be a challenging season, but I am excited about it ".

“I like to play football to win matches. I am happy with one goal, but the aim should be on scoring more goals than our opponent”, he stated.

Popovic, who has a wide experience of coaching in Japan and Thailand, has insisted that he will play aggressive football. “ We are going to play attractively aggressive football, “We will do everything to win the game in the upcoming season, “ he added.

Popovic also spoke about the upcoming Indian footballing talents. “They (Indian players) are very talented players. They, however, will need to be a bit more competitive,” he signed off.

The upcoming edition of the Indian Super League will see 10 teams for the first time. The four-month extended tournament will kick off on November 17, with a clash between last year’s finalists ATK and Kerala Blasters at their home ground at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan stadium in Kolkata.

FC Pune City, meanwhile, will take on Delhi Dynamos in their first encounter of the season. The extended tournament will go on until March the following year.