Mumbai City FC may have lost the semi-final 2-5 to FC Goa in the recently concluded Indian Super League (ISL), but the team's goal-keeper Amrinder Singh on Thursday said that Lucian Goian, the manager of Mumbai FC, takes a lot of interest in Indian culture, which, in turn, has helped the side tackle pressure.
"He is so much invested in the Indian culture now that he has started to pick up the language quite often. That helps a lot when we are in clutch situations on the pitch," he hangs out with me a lot off the field. So he has picked the Punjabi language through the songs. It was a huge surprise for me when I first saw him singing along to a Punjabi song," All India Football Federation (AIFF) quoted Amrinder as saying.
"At the end of last season Goian promised me that he would sing the Indian National Anthem on the pitch one day, and he did it, it did not take him long. He kept his promise," he added.
The goalkeeper said that the team is hungry to record more impressive performances going ahead and the experience of Goian will bail them through difficult situations.
"Our team has improved a lot after coach Jorge Costa took over at the start of the season. He was a big player back during his playing days, and he has the experience of playing and managing in big games like in the UEFA Champions League. Under him, the team feels like a family," Amrinder said.
The Indian Super League final was played on March 17 between FC Goa and Bengaluru FC, and Bengaluru recorded their first title win as they defeated Goa 1-0.
Mumbai City will next be seen playing the Super Cup and they take on Chennaiyin FC in a pre-quarterfinal today.
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