BENGALURU: National Team Defender Arnab Mondal on Monday (November 9) said that Guam will enjoy an “edge” when the two Teams meet on November 12 for the Russia 2018 World Cup Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
“We are in a positive frame of mind. We aim to take something out of this match,” he quipped. “But Guam are on seven points and there’s no doubt that they have an edge,” he added.
Mondal was speaking during a Media Interaction at the Team Hotel on Monday morning.
Looking back at India’s 1-2 loss when the two Teams met earlier Mondal admitted, “We were not up to the mark.”
“People may speak about the weather, the ground conditions when we played Guam in Guam. But simply put, they were better than us on that day,” he stated.
“International Football is played at a much higher intensity,” he later told www.the-aiff.com. “The Team has many youngsters and we need to be patient and give them time to settle down,” he pronounced.
“Guam have been together for three years and are now reaping the benefits,” Mondal pronounced. “They never depend on individual brilliance and stress more on team work,” Mondal opined about India’s rivals.
“Guam have had some good results and they are high on confidence,” Mondal added to www.the-aiff.com.
Reflecting on India’s five losses in five matches, Mondal felt the Players don’t need to motivate themselves extra while playing for the National Team.
“The call up to the National Team is the biggest motivation ever for a Player,” Mondal stressed. “There’s a reason why the 25 Players have been picked by the Coach. Had we not been good, we wouldn’t have been here.”
“There’s no room for any errors,” he said to www.the-aiff.com. “We need to be compact and back each other. Each one needs to be responsible. There’s no shying away from it.”
There’s a cloud cover over Bengaluru since Sunday (November 8) afternoon with occasional light drizzles making one run for shelter.
Mondal also lavished praise on his Teammate Sandesh Jhingan. “He’s good in the air and also on the ground. His commitment is something which is so infectious. We need to divert our minds from the result and give our best,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the National Team had their first practice session on Monday (November 9) evening.
By Nilanjan Datta,
AIFF Media Team
