Panaji: The fifth season of the Indian Super League (ISL) is a little more than a month away, yet FC Goa are not pressing the panic button. Club president Akshay Tandon is wiser from last years’ experience when he took charge for the first time, and with a settled squad – both on and off the field – has set the bar high this season. Excerpts from an exclusive interview with TOI…

Everything seems a lot more relaxed for FC Goa ahead of this season…

It’s been two years since we bought the club and then started the process of building a new team; a new technical and management philosophy. That process was completed in March (this year). We have a pretty large team now that has a vision and business goal which needs to be achieved in the next five years. To a large extent, things have gone the way we scripted.

How differently are you approaching this season, compared to the previous two?

The first year I wasn’t involved at all. Last year was all about learning. This year is all about tightening the screws. We set out on an ambitious project of bringing down the (overall) cost and we achieved that in most areas. Now, it’s about finetuning and looking at areas we were not so well organised. I am feeling quite settled that things will go smoothly.

Success will always be measured with how well the team does on the field. How confident do you feel?

I cannot predict what will happen on the field, but we have more experience in every department. For sure, we will have a smoother season. Emotionally, I hope there won’t be ups and downs like last year!

FC Goa set the bar quite high last season but could never measure up…

We had early success, and because nobody expected that from us, perhaps, psychologically, we didn’t have the experience to deal with that. Everyone had lot of attention, all of a sudden. We started focusing on small things that were going wrong, while everything went right for us. We have that maturity now and know that this is a marathon and not a race.

Have you told Sergio Lobera and the boys what you expect of them this season?

The expectation is to be in the final. I think, given how the season went last year and the preparations this year, it’s very reasonable. I know that everyone in the team is prepared to reach the final; from the coaching staff to the players. That’s everyone’s goal, that’s everyone’s expectations, and it includes the fans.

Any areas of concern?

We have improved on our areas of weakness which was, obviously, our defence. I am now confident in how prepared we are, but at the end of the day, will I be any less nervous before the first match of the season? No. I will have the same jitters, the same anxiety.

With Derrick Pereira as technical director, the Forca Goa Foundation in place, what’s the club’s ambitions beyond the first team?

We are doubling our youth efforts. We are aligning the technical education of the foundation and the grassroots with the technical team at the club. From a technical perspective, we’re looking to invest heavily in infrastructure. That’s my focus for the next couple of months. We want to set up an academy, school and have a holistic programme where the best want to come to Goa and be part of this institution that we are hoping to set up. Phase one like the football grounds should be ready in the next 18 months. We also want to work closely with the Goa Football Association. A lot of the ambition that we have set is not the club’s, it’s the state’s. As a club, you cannot achieve success alone. You need support from everyone. We will be more involved.

