NorthEast United's Rowllin Borges: I am not at my best yet

The lanky midfielder admits competition for his place in the national team has gotten tougher

Rowllin Borges feels that he has to improve certain aspects of his game to reclaim his place in the Indian national team setup. It must be noted that he started only once in four games during the recently held Intercontinental Cup.

The 26-year-old's career had picked up pace when he was still with Clube de Goa back in 2015, which was when coach Stephen Constantine handed him his debut during the SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) Championship.

After winning the SAFF Championship, Borges' second title with the Blue Tigers was during the Intercontinental Cup.

However, Borges got only one start in four games, unlike during the SAFF Cup. Even in that game, he was replaced at half-time. Anirudh Thapa and Pronay Halder have been preferred of late in central midfield.

Speaking about his competition, the Goan told Goal, "There is always pressure to perform when you're with the national team. I think I have to work harder and perform more than what I have done so far. It also depends on what the coach decides and what he wants.

"Both of them (Thapa and Halder) played really well (in the Intercontinental Cup)," he went on to admit. "I got to learn a lot from them in those matches. I hope what I have learnt from those matches, I will put into practice."

"I think I am not at my best level yet. I am working really hard to be at my best as soon as possible so that I can help my team. Pressure is always there. If you don't have any pressure also, you will be relaxed. When you have pressure, you work harder to give your best to be the best," Borges added.

It was his significant rise at Sporting Goa that earned him a contract with (ISL) outfit in 2016, as Borges hopes for a better showing in the upcoming season.

"I didn't have a great season last year but the overall experience of playing there (NorthEast United) has been good. Last year we were poor in attack. Maybe we didn't combine well. We were creating chances but couldn't finish," he reasoned.

Training under former and Portsmouth coach Avram Grant, who was roped in as the technical director at the Guwahati-based ISL outfit last season, was certainly a boost to the midfielder.

"He (Grant) is a very experienced and well-known coach. So to be trained by him was a great experience," he continued to explain how Indian players stand to benefit from training and playing alongside experienced personnel. "We have to give our best and help them to help us. We get to learn a lot of things from people like them."

Meanwhile, with NorthEast United losing established players such as Halicharan Narzary and Seiminlen Doungel to the transfer window, Borges is confident that his club will make strong signings to fill the void.

"Both Holi and Len performed very well last year. We will miss them but I am sure that the management will find someone good to replace them," he inferred.