‘Neglect what’s happening exterior the 4 traces of the sphere’

Punjab’s new head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis.
| Photograph Credit score: Stan Rayan

For Punjab FC which doesn’t play its ISL house video games at house however in New Delhi, its season-opener towards Kerala Blasters in a packed Nehru Stadium right here on Sunday might look like a nervous encounter.

However Punjab’s new head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis has discovered a solution for this, from his personal enjoying days.

“I used to be attempting to deal with this query once I was a younger soccer participant, enjoying skilled… you need to put your physique and thoughts on the 4 traces of the sphere and overlook what’s happening exterior of this,” stated the Greek right here on Saturday.

“We now have labored so much with my gamers on this mindset, to attempt to put together them for such conditions. I feel it could be an excellent check tomorrow to see how we undertake this plan.”

By the way Punjab, which made its ISL debut final season after successful the I-League and making the lower, doesn’t have any participant from Punjab in its workforce.

“I feel we don’t have any…that’s the one goal we now have, we need to create youth gamers from the area, from Punjab…gamers with the appropriate mentality, to be skilled and be prepared to deal with the challenges of the ISL,” stated Dilmperis.

It may very well be robust for the younger facet to draw its followers from house when it performs in Delhi and the coach shouldn’t be positive when his workforce will get to play its ISL video games in Punjab. However he’s clear what the membership desires to do.

“Punjab FC desires to develop, that doesn’t imply solely outcomes. The brand new problem is how we are able to convey extra youth gamers from Punjab to our academy, convey new expertise to assist the workers and gamers, convey new gamers, convey new mentality. I feel these are among the main challenges that we now have to deal with,” he stated.

“If we’re an instance for different groups and different groups, which have higher issues, are an instance for us … that’s the solely means we are able to develop Indian soccer and Indian gamers.”