Haiti midfielder reckons Mariners are even stronger than last season
Kolkata: Mohun Bagan’s star midfielder Sony Norde has declared himself fit to play in the next I League match against debutants Minerva Punjab FC on January 17. Norde, who arrived on Thursday night is not guaranteed whether he will be kept in the playing XI by Coach Sanjay Sen. But the man himself has announced that he is ready to take the field after his first training session with physical trainer Garcia. Norde, who joined the Mariners for his third consecutive season will train with the entire team tomorrow at Rabindra Sarobar ground.
“It’s the first day at training with the players who did not play yesterday. But tomorrow I will start training with the entire team. I will try to keep myself fit and help the club win the I League. If the coach wants to use me I am ready to play,” said Norde to a handful of reporters at the club tent after the training today.
On being asked whether he is ready to play the next match, he immediately responded, “Sure, sure, I am okay. Yesterday I watched the team win. I am ready to play the next game.”
Norde was present at the Rabindra Sarobar stadium on Friday watching the proceedings from the VIP stands. He seemed happy with the performance of his team mates. “It was a good team effort. Debjit was playing good. Our defenders especially the new player Anas played very well. In the front the new U’22 player (Ray nier Fernandes) impressed me very much. Let’s hope he gets more opportunities to do well.”
The Mariners have got a very strong squad this season with most of the players being retained. Norde too reckons the team this season is a lot stronger compared to last season. “Signing players like Duffy, Anas, Subhasish is surely going to add strength to the squad. I feel our team is more confident this year. I think we will get more success this season.”
Coach Sanjay Sen will have problems of plenty picking his first eleven for the next match as both Balwant and Duffy has scored in the first couple of matches. Sony feels it is a good sign for the team as the strikers need to keep scoring.
The midfielder was asked about playing the I League matches at Rabindra Sarobar stadium. He said, “The ground is better. It is natural grass and the facilities are also good. I think it’s better for Mohun Bagan players to play in this stadium (Rabindra Sarobar).”
Having played for Mohun Bagan in last couple of seasons, the Haiti footballer was asked about the secret of success for the Mariners. According to Norde, “From the beginning when I come to India I remember I played the Federation Cup and we were like friends but now it is like a family. When we are in the dressing room and on the field we try to build a good partnership among ourselves.
Lastly the winger was asked about his prospective partnership with Duffy, Norde said, “There can be a combination with anyone – Eduardo with Sony, Duffy with Eduardo and so on. But the bottom line is we have to play well as a team and help win matches for Mohun Bagan.”