We have to produce the best in every match we play: Mohun Bagan SG coach Molina

Molina, who served as the sporting director of the Royal Spanish Football Federation for four years, said that he hopes to see Mohun Bagan SG maintain its status at the top of the Indian football hierarchy.

Left to Right: MBSG head coach Jose Molina chief, Sanjiv Goenka, owner MBSG, and Jamie Maclaren. | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI/The Hindu

It is important to be consistent and produce the best in every match the team plays, said Jose Molina as he officially took charge of the Indian Super League shield winner Mohun Bagan Super Giant here on Tuesday.

“We have to win all the matches. It doesn’t matter whether it is the Durand Cup, ISL or the AFC tournaments where we will participate. We have to produce our best in every match and it should be the target for all the players and the team management to treat every match as the most important fixture in the calendar,” Molina said on returning to the city after a break of eight seasons. He made the now-defunct ATK the ISL champion in 2016 in his last assignment in the city.

Molina, who went on to serve as the sporting director of the Royal Spanish Football Federation for four years, said that he hopes to see Mohun Bagan SG maintain its status at the top of the Indian football hierarchy.

Molina is likely to start his new assignment when defending champion Mohun Bagan takes on the Indian Air Force team in its next Durand Cup outing on August 8.

Molina said he would like to see Mohun Bagan SG turn into a team that dominates the game. “The most important part is to have good players. And I think the club has prepared a very good squad for us. We want to be a team that dominates the game. By this I mean that we want to be offensive with the ball and would like to be aggressive when we don’t have the ball,” Molina said about his coaching philosophy.

“Right now we are at the top and in a situation where everyone likes to beat Mohun Bagan the champion. We have to be ready for that,” he added.

Jamie Maclaren, five-time Golden Boot winner in the A-League, said he made a move to Kolkata because Mohun Bagan SG has the standard to win trophies. “I like to win trophies, something that I did with Melbourne City. Mohun Bagan also has the standards to win trophies and compete. Moreover, I love this country, I love the food and I am here because I have friends who are with this club. I would like to link up with them. I played with Dimitri Petratos in Brisbane (Roars) and with Jason Cummings in the national team,” said the Australian World Cupper about his compatriots, who are already with Mohun Bagan SG.