New Delhi: Delhi Dynamos might have already booked a spot in the Indian Super League (ISL) playoffs but Hans Mulder, one of their four captains, ruled out any scope of complacency, asserting they will look to win the next two games against Kerala Blasters and FC Goa to finish the group stage on top.
The Dynamos were the second team after defending champions Atletico de Kolkata to qualify for the last four stage with 21 points from 12 games. The team that finished fifth last year and missed qualification for the semi-finals by a solitary point has lifted itself into the semis this season with two league games to spare.
The Dynamos displayed an improved brand of football right from the beginning of the season. The team, coached by one of the all-time best left-backs and former Brazilian World Cup winner Roberto Carlos, has been among the best in terms of defending - letting in the least number of goals through their post.
"I am very happy for the team. The main focus now is to end the league (phase) as the first (top) team. We need to win these two games to end first and as a football player and a sportsman, you always try to win and not become complacent. Just because we have already qualified for the semis we will play less or save energy, I don't think that is the thing. Most important now is to win games and go to the playoffs with a lot of confidence," the Dutch-Spanish footballer told IBNLive in an interview.
After 12 matches, the Dynamos are at the third spot with 21 points and are trailing Goa by one point. However, Carlos' team has an advantage, having played less number of matches compared to all the other teams in top-four. Should the Dynamos win their games in hand, they will be in a good position to leapfrog booth Kolkata and Goa to the top spot.
The 28-year-old didn’t take much time to settle into the Indian conditions given that this is his second season in the ISL. When asked what made the difference for Delhi this year, Mulder said the team has much more quality players than last year.
"I think you cannot compare really with last year because there are not the much players left from last year and of course players like Carlos, Florent Malouda and John Arne Riise, all of them have much more quality than last year and that makes a big difference. Sometimes in games this year we had the luck that we didn't have last year and everything seems to be falling in good place right now," Mulder said.
The former Real Zaragoza youth player hailed the impact of Carlos who he said was a true legend and an inspirational figure.
"It's amazing to be a part of this with this kind of a trainer - the legend that he is and a great player he was. He has got a lot of experience and he is now trying to give it back to the players and you can see that it works and everybody wants to run for him and for the rest of the team...he would always do these extra things," Mulder said about the Brazilian's influence.
One of the other major factors for Delhi has been the performance of their Indian players. Players like Robin Singh, Souvik Chakraborty, Anas Edathodika and Zodingliana Ralte have become an integral part of the setup and have showed great potential.
Among the Indian players that caught his eye in the Delhi Dynamos set-up, Mulder chose defender Shouvik.
"Indian players did a great job. They are improving every game and like you said, Shouvik, he was here last year as well and now plays in a different position. But if you compare the first game he played and the last one, you can see his improvement. He now plays more freely. He is passing the ball with a lot of confidence. His defending is really good. You can see that they (Indian players) are learning from each other.
Mulder also believes standard of the league has gone up on the second season with Indian players contributing remarkably.
"Last year everything was new. You didn't know what to expect with a lot of people. But now you can see that people are really enjoying every game and the quality of this season is much higher than last year and the league will get better and better. The Indian players are learning a lot and it's great to see that," Mulder concluded.
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