NEW DELHI: After a horrid start to the season, Churchill Brothers FC have turned around magnificently in the ongoing 11th edition of the I-League.
A prime reason for this recent spate of form has been their forward Mechac Koffi, and his sights are now set ‘to be in the top half of the table’ and he has “much more to give” this season.
“Our aim now is to be in the top half of the table. And the way we are performing, it is highly achievable.”
Arriving mid-season, Mechac has been instrumental in the Goan outfit’s turnaround, “I wouldn’t say it’s because of me. Yes, we had a bad start to the season but we bounced back”, thereby dismissing talks of he being the lone factor for the rise in fortunes.
“I can say for sure that if we had collected five or six points earlier we would have been in the running for the I-League”, he is quick to asses.
But arriving mid-season to any club in any league must be difficult for a player with the change in strategies and playing styles and Mechac admits the hurdles, “Yes it is difficult to for any player to come in mid-season. But I was prepared to play football.”
“Pre-season training and keeping yourself match fit is a very important aspect of the game. If you do it properly it won’t be difficult for you to adapt yourself to a new league or team," emphasizing the importance of match preparation.
With no previous experience of India, it was a leap of faith for the Ivorian. “It has been a good stay for me here in India so far. I honestly didn’t know much about the league in India. But after coming here, I can say it is a very good and competitive league.”
Speaking of the quality of football he said, “I used to play in other leagues and I’m very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the league here.”
“It’s a very good atmosphere inside the dressing room. Here everyone is equal no matter who you are. Everyone respects each other and stands up for one another. So it brings you closer and helps you understand each other,” giving us a behind the scenes glimpse of Churchill.
With four goals to his name already, you would expect him to be very happy with his performance, but his thoughts are on a contrary plane, “I’m not exactly happy with my performance. I know the level that I can perform at and I can be much better than what I have shown so far.”
“So, I have much more to give”, sounding off a warning to rivals.