press trust of india
Mumbai, August 1: He has never seen Sunil Chhetri in action but Mumbai City FC’s (MCFC) marquee player-cum-manager Nicolas Anelka is confident that the Indian captain will prove to be a ‘big plus’ for the team.
“Everybody told me he (Sunil) is a very good player. I don’t know him personally and will try to speak to him. He will miss 1-2 games initially (because of couple of World Cup qualifiers). We are happy to have him in our squad. I think he will be a big plus for the team,” said the former Chelsea and Real Madrid star here Saturday.
Delighted to be back at Mumbai City FC in a dual role, Anelka wanted to help the Ranbir Kapoor co-owned franchise win the second edition of the ISL.
“I am happy to be back. We have a bigger and better squad this season. Last year we had a good team but were a little bit unlucky with injuries (to key players). This time the players’ desires are to do better (than last year) and my personal aim is to reach, at the minimum, the semis,” said the former French international.
The 36-year-old said he was looking forward to the extra workload as manager of MCFC this season, insisting it will not add any extra pressure on him. “As a player, you concentrate on the game (only), but as a manager you have to do a lot more. It’s going to be more work for me. I have been working with a lot of managers and I know how to manage the players and establish a rapport with them,” said the Frenchman.
However, he did not see himself in a full-time managerial role, for the present at least. “I am 36 and am more towards the end of my
playing days than the start of it. First, I want to finish as a player. I am doing this (coaching MCFC) only this season and am not looking to become a full-time manager as of now, but you never know what might happen in future,” Anelka signed off.
