"Goa have got a strong sense of football identity" - Mumbai City FC boss Des Buckingham heaps praise on FC Goa ahead of their ISL 2022-23 clash | OneFootball

"Nothing’s really changed from the last time we played them," he said. "They were looking for results to finish in the playoffs, as were we. Goa have got a strong sense of football identity in how they want to play and having Carlos Pena there has further enhanced as someone who knows the club, knows the football."

"I think we are starting to see that in their games consistency," he continued. "We are aware of the opposition may want to do, but it’s more important we prepare ourselves to do what we want to do. We have control over that and will try to put ourselves in the best position to come up against a very good Goa team."

"It’s the same as the whole season. You can’t go twenty games without injuries and suspensions. We had Apuia missing for a couple of games, Rostyn Griffiths, Greg Stewart and Rahul Bheke missing due to injuries as well. So that happens as a part of injuries and it’s the same for suspensions."

"But the really pleasing thing regardless of the players that are missing is the players that have been able to come in and allow us to continue performing," Buckingham added. "That’s important in terms of the squad depth we have, but also how players push each other every day to make sure they are ready for the opportunities."

"No, we have only got three games left and they are all going to be as important as each other. It’s not just about trying to pick up a result in this game, we want to try to finish the season as strong as possible. But to do that, we have to make sure to prepare as well as we can and we have done that again this week.

"We have shown through the whole season. If we keep looking into the next game and prepare as well as we can, the performances are hopefully as good as we can play and trust that it turns into results."

"Last season I had a couple of injuries. But this season I worked hard in the off-season to recover from last season’s mistakes. The coaches also helped a lot from the start of the pre-season to improve myself both in terms of defense and attack, which has helped me develop."

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