He has a clear understanding of the league and the club: FC Goa Director of Football Ravi Puskur on appointing Carlos Pena as head coach

FC Goa director of football Ravi Puskur has lavished praise on the team’s new head coach Carlos Pena. Pena had earlier played for the Gaurs in the Hero ISL and thus Puskur believes he has a clear understanding of the league and the club.

Pena played for the Gaurs between 2018 and 2020 and thus he is familiar with the style of play of the club and its players.

The 44-year-old led Albacete Balompie to the top position in the Primera Division RFEF in Spain and will look to replicate the same success with FC Goa.

The veteran has all the experience under his belt and he will look to get the best out of the players. As Pena has the exposure of playing with some of the Gaur’s players, he will know how to get them on the right track. Furthermore, being a former player of the same club, he will be aware of the dressing room atmosphere.

When asked if appointing Carlos Pena as the head coach was a risky move, Puskur said while talking to the Times of India, “Every coaching assignment is a risk, until it works out. We have fairly decent assessment criteria for coaches, and in Carlos, we have someone who is in a similar mould to our previous coaches – Sergio [Lobera] and Juan [Ferrando] – who were hungry, ambitious, and trying to make a mark. I can understand why questions are being asked. Carlos’s appointment made a lot of sense because he comes with fresh ideas, has recent playing experience, understands the league, and more importantly, understands the club. Is it a risk? Yes, but we have to back our guts.”

Meanwhile, FC Goa had a disappointing run in Hero ISL 2021-22 season as they managed only four wins in 20 matches to finish at ninth place in the standings, and thus they could not qualify for the semifinals. Thus, Carlos Pena will be determined to turn the tables in the next season.

Speaking on the team’s performance in the previous season, Puskur said, “From a recruitment perspective, we are quite satisfied. We had targeted certain players and waited till the coach was on board to sign them. During Covid, it dawned upon us that personalities have a big impact in the dressing room, in good moments and bad. We signed players who would bring in a certain amount of expectations with them in terms of what they can offer to us, on and off the field. It was very important to bring in a different mix. After finishing ninth, we could not continue with the same set of players.”

FC Goa will kick off their ISL 2022-23 campaign against East Bengal at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on the 12th of October.