ISL: Will be happy with 3 points per game, says MCFC coach Jorge Costa

Jorge Costa

Indian Super League franchise Mumbai City FC yesterday introduced former Portuguese central defender Jorge Costa as their head coach ahead of the upcoming season. Costa, 46, will take over from the Costa Rican Alexandre Guimaraes, who ended his stint with the club after two seasons in charge. Mumbai City finished seventh last season.

The Portuguese, who earned 50 international caps, will bring a surfeit of experience, having been at the helm of clubs in Europe such as Portuguese clubs SC Braga Paos, Ferreira, Romania's CFR Cluj, Greek sides AEL Limassol and Anorthosis Famagusta and the Gabon national team.

Known for his aggressive style of play, Costa chose to be practical about the expectations as the new coach. "My aim is to win three points from every match. The players and me will give our 100 per cent. Together we will look to give our fans a good footballing experience," the coach said. Mumbai City FC CEO Indranil Das Blah backed the Portuguese to succeed. "With Costa, what we see is what we get. Lot of coaches tend to paint a rosy picture and then don't deliver. He is aware of the hard work that needs to be put in to succeed."

When asked if the club has set any expectations for this season, the CEO said: "For the past four year, we have been saying we want to win and we are tired of repeating it and not delivering. This season we want to do the best we can and give it our 100 per cent. This year, we have a slight disadvantage as we started pre-season late. Other clubs like Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC started a month ago. So, it will be an uphill battle. I don't think we will start off strongly as we have lot of catching up to do." The fifth edition of the league will kick off on September 29 in Kolkata.

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