Delhi Dynamos will look for better performance their young players. (Photo credit- ISL)

The Delhi Dynamos are at the bottom of the Indian Super League table without a single win in 10 matches and are not having a season to remember. It is not that the team is not playing well, but the team has been unable to grind out the results needed to climb up the table. What is more disappointing is that they have lost matches where they were clearly the more dominant side. It can be said that there are several young Indian players in the team who could become the future of Indian football but their results this season have proved to be a disappointment for the supporters and the club. Timesnownews.com talked to Dynamos’ head coach Josep Gombau to discuss the team’s performance this season. Here are the excerpts from the conversation

On Delhi Dynamos’ woeful form this season:-

Gombau- We are not getting the results. We have not won any match. I can say we are not having a good season. I think that the team plays good football. We are playing well and everybody is trying there 100 per cent. In the last few games, we have created a lot of chances. It’s just that we are missing them. It has happened to us from the first game against Pune. We had three or four chances and we should have finished them. It would have been 3 points for us if we had scored. In most of the games, we have had more chances than the opponent. This for me is the main problem.

What do you think is the reason for Dynamos’ not getting the results?

Gombau- We had a lot of problems. We started the pre-season a bit late. Some of the players were with the Under-23 national team, so they came to us a bit late. In 2-3 weeks, we had 5 games but some of the players were injured. I don’t want to use these things as an excuse. We are playing some good football and developing some young players like Lallianzuala Chhangte, Nanda Kumar or Shubham Sarangi, Vinit Rai or Albino Gomes. If we see this then we have a good future at the club.

Against league leaders Bengaluru FC, Delhi was clearly the dominant side. In the first half, the team had several chances to take the lead. In the second half also there were chances. It came back to haunt Delhi as Udanta Singh scored a late winner. So how frustrating is it to see your team play really well but fail to get a result?

Gombau- A coach and players are in the same boat and we want to do well as a unit. The players were really frustrated; it was a really sad moment for them because they did not deserve to lose the game. It is football and football is not about creating chances but about putting the ball in the back of the net and we have to improve this. The players are training well and we have a really good environment in the team. This is not normal when the team is not winning. I am sure the results will. When you play like the way we have been playing then sooner or later, the results also start coming.



Striker Andrija Kaluderovic has taken part in almost all of Delhi’s ten fixtures and scored just one goal. In the match against Bengaluru also he missed two good chances to score. We understand that we shouldn't put any individual blame but do you think he is partly to take the blame for the lack of goals?

Gombau- Football is a team sport and to blame just one player is unfair. I agree that his numbers are not good and that is something he will obviously try to improve. But everybody has to take the responsibility. Yes, he missed chances, but other players also missed the chances. I like to see it as a team. When a team wins, it is the team that wins and when the team loses, the team loses.

We have seen two goalkeepers fight it out for a spot in the team. Earlier in the season, it was Francisco Dorronsoro who was the first choice, but in the last three games, Albino has made it into the team. So, is the change because of individual performance or to get the team combination right?

Gombau- Dorronsoro’s performance has been very good when he played in the first 8 games. So when I came here, Albino had just started the process of rehabilitation from a long-term injury and did not play for 1 year. Dorronsoro was signed before I arrived because they thought Albino was just coming back from an injury, so would not be match-fit. When I arrived also, Albino wasn’t that confident or match fit at that moment. I think Albino has a lot of potentials and is a very good goalkeeper. He is very tall and agile and very fit. There is nothing wrong with Dorronsoro and it does not mean he will not play till the end of the season.

Delhi have now played 10 matches, and top-four looks really difficult with only two matches left before the break. What are goals you have set for the team now?

Gombau- If it is possible then we will fight for it. I wanna go game by game and every single match, we have to try to win. After the games finish then we will see what happens. We have a few challenges. One is developing young players as we have a very young squad. The second youngest squad in the ISL. Vineet, Pritam, Nanda, Shubham are really talented players. Thinking about the future is one goal. Every single week, the team is improving and we are playing better and better.