PANAJI: True to his style of functioning, Goa XI coach Armando Colaco
reels off the names of his starting eleven without even bothering to
check if that might cause some consternation within his own camp, or
provide the opposition with a desired clue.
His strategy, though, remains closely guarded. Press him for a clue and he mumbles in local lingo, obvious to the presence of Zambia coach Renard Herve after the pre-match briefing.
In reality, Zambia may not even need any such clues about what the first of their two rivals - Goa XI - are planning as the gulf in class between the two teams when they meet at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Saturday.
Goa XI, a combination of locals and handpicked foreigners, will play Zambia in a friendly to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of the state and also the Goa Football Association.
"I have to make do with whatever I have at the moment. Zambia, nobody needs any reminding, are vastly superior but with the kind of squad that we have managed to put up, Goa might be able to measure up to the challenge," Colaco told TOI.
The Goa squad assembled only on Friday morning and trained for approximately 80 minutes. But with a majority of the players from Colaco's own Dempo Sports Club, lack of understanding might not be a deterrent. With at least six Dempo players certain to be included in the starting eleven, there will be a semblance of order to the game as well.
Felix D'Souza has emerged as the number one choice to guard the goal while the likes of Valerian Rebello, Rowilson Rodrigues, Cressan Antao (all Dempo) and Churchill's Australian defender Antun Kovacic have been shortlisted to man the defence.
Denzil Franco, normally a smart right-back for Churchill Brothers, will be moved on to the right of midfield while Peter Carvalho will scheme from the left.
Godwin Franco and Lenny Rodrigues are the prefered choices in central midfield while the strike pair of Ranty Martins (Dempo) and James Moga (Sporting Clube) - who have collectively scored 17 goals between them in the I-League and are two of the leading goalscorers - were the unanimous choice upfront.
Zambia coach Renard Herve put his team through three rigorous training sessions in the two days since they arrived in Goa.
His strategy, though, remains closely guarded. Press him for a clue and he mumbles in local lingo, obvious to the presence of Zambia coach Renard Herve after the pre-match briefing.
In reality, Zambia may not even need any such clues about what the first of their two rivals - Goa XI - are planning as the gulf in class between the two teams when they meet at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Saturday.
Goa XI, a combination of locals and handpicked foreigners, will play Zambia in a friendly to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of the state and also the Goa Football Association.
"I have to make do with whatever I have at the moment. Zambia, nobody needs any reminding, are vastly superior but with the kind of squad that we have managed to put up, Goa might be able to measure up to the challenge," Colaco told TOI.
The Goa squad assembled only on Friday morning and trained for approximately 80 minutes. But with a majority of the players from Colaco's own Dempo Sports Club, lack of understanding might not be a deterrent. With at least six Dempo players certain to be included in the starting eleven, there will be a semblance of order to the game as well.
Felix D'Souza has emerged as the number one choice to guard the goal while the likes of Valerian Rebello, Rowilson Rodrigues, Cressan Antao (all Dempo) and Churchill's Australian defender Antun Kovacic have been shortlisted to man the defence.
Denzil Franco, normally a smart right-back for Churchill Brothers, will be moved on to the right of midfield while Peter Carvalho will scheme from the left.
Godwin Franco and Lenny Rodrigues are the prefered choices in central midfield while the strike pair of Ranty Martins (Dempo) and James Moga (Sporting Clube) - who have collectively scored 17 goals between them in the I-League and are two of the leading goalscorers - were the unanimous choice upfront.
Zambia coach Renard Herve put his team through three rigorous training sessions in the two days since they arrived in Goa.
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