ISL 2024-25: Lobera hopes to rebuild Kalinga Stadium as a fortress after a poor start to season
New Delhi: Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera sounded disappointed with his side after it lost both of its opening games of the new season of the Indian Super League (ISL) despite putting on solid performances. On Friday, Odisha FC went down 1-2 against Punjab FC at the JLN Stadium here.
After going the entire length of the 2023/24 season unbeaten at home at the Kalinga Stadium, Odisha were handed a tough loss in their first game of the season when they lost 2-3 against Chennaiyin FC despite having a 2-0 lead in the game.
On Friday, Lobera emphasised the importance of being mentally strong and hopes to rebuild the Kalinga Stadium into a fortress yet again.
“We now have the opportunity to play the upcoming games at home, we were very strong there last season, we went unbeaten and this is the team we need to improve, perform at the same feeling and level at the Kalinga Stadium last season. We need to change some things tactically, physically but also our mental condition. Last season this situation happened and we need to cope and be mentally strong, be a quality side and mentally strong,” Lobera told IANS during the post-match press conference.
Odisha’s next three games are at home against Jamshedpur FC, Kerala Blasters and East Bengal FC.
Odisha lost 1-2 against Punjab FC at the JLN Stadium in New Delhi. The side struggled to get out of the books in the first half. Lobera left his star midfielder Ahmed Jahouh on the bench and lined his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Diego Mauricio, Roy Krishna, who made his 100th appearance for the club, and Hugo Boumous in attack.
After trailing 1-0 at half-time, the Spaniard knew his team was in dire need of a change which saw him make a triple substitution. Ahmed Jahouh along with Rahim Ali and Jerry Mawihngthanga were brought on at the half-time mark.
There was an instant spark in the away side’s performance in the second half but it failed to create many significant chances in the game. They conceded yet another goal in the 89th minute and although they scored a late consolation goal, there was not enough time left on the clock to look for an equaliser.