Hyderabad FC’s head coach Thangboi Singto rued individual mistakes after the loss against Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League at the Mumbai Football Arena, Mumbai on Saturday. The Islanders registered a 1-0 win against the Nizams and Singto wants his players to take more responsibility.
Mehtab Singh scored the only goal of the match from a free header in the 29th minute. However, Singto was not impressed with his defense and said they should have marked Mehtab in a better way.
The visitors took three shots on target but failed to find the back of the net against the home team.
Reflecting on the match, Singto said, “I think the goal was a bit of an individual error because when a player is given a responsibility, and despite that, the opponent gets a clear header and scores, we have to ask ourselves some questions. I’m not a coach who blames players, but this was one of those moments where responsibility wasn’t fully taken.”
“We tried to come back stronger. The players ran, ran, ran. Against Mumbai City FC at home, I already said it was going to be tough, and it was. We couldn’t get the ball to the strikers, especially Allan de Souza Miranda and Edmilson Correia, and that hurt us.”
Hyderabad FC has had a horrid run in the ISL so far as they have suffered six losses and find themselves struggling in 11th place in the standings. Singto admitted they found themselves on the back foot after a sharp start by the hosts.
“It’s a common phenomenon. When you’re at home, you want to take the game to the opponent. That’s what Mumbai did. Once you win the ball, it’s about keeping it and creating more. Today, we only had two or three shots on target compared to seven in the last match. That really sums it up,” he explained.
He added, “When you’re trailing, there needs to be urgency, a bit more tempo and speed. I understand the players were tired, but we need to work on playing with more intensity when behind.”
Hyderabad FC will next take on FC Goa at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad on Wednesday.
