Zambrotta differs with Zico, votes for 6 foreigners in ISL

Zambrotta
Delhi Dynamos coach Gianluca Zambrotta at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium on Saturday. Image Source: Xtra Time

Kolkata: Italy’s world cup winning footballer and presently the coach of Indian Super League side Delhi Dynamos, Gianluca Zambrotta has supported the rule of playing 6 foreigners in an ISL team. According to Zambrotta, “For me talent is important for a footballer irrespective of him being a foreigner or an Indian. I have no problems with 6 foreigners playing in the league.”

Dynamos will lock horns with Atletico de Kolkata at Rabindra Sarobar on Saturday. The visitors have a better goal difference going into the match. The 39-year-old former Italian international seemed cautious of the home team’s strength at the pre-match press conference on Friday.

“Atletico de Kolkata has a very good squad. Although their forwards aren’t performing as expected of them, we are not taking them very lightly. We have a very difficult match ahead tomorrow but we will have our chances – that is for sure,” Zambrotta told the press ahead of Saturday’s clash.

The former Juventus man also believes that the Indian Super League is playing an active role in developing the quality of football in India. “It (Hero ISL) is – of course – not as good as some top notch leagues in the world like Serie A and La Liga but there isn’t a doubt that it is helping to improve the standard of football in this part of the world.”

“Before officially joining Delhi Dynamos, I had consulted with the likes of Luis Garcia, Marco Materazzi and Alessandro Del Piero and all of them had very positive things to say about the Hero ISL,” said Zambrotta.

“I also believe that the competitive nature of the tournament will help me a lot to develop as a coach and a tactician in the future,” Zambrotta added.

Atletico de Kolkata Head Coach, Jose Molina – on the other – seemed quite confident that his side will emerge victorious after the final whistle tomorrow. “It is true that we are currently not amongst the top four teams in the Hero ISL table. But there is still a long way to go in the tournament. If we win tomorrow, we’ll move up by three spots to reach the second position on the table.”

“I am quite confident that we’ll be able to garner all three points against Delhi tomorrow in front of our home crowd,” Molina addressed the press.

The one good news for the Atletico de Kolkata team management is both Ofentse Nato and Jose Luis Arroyo (Tiri) have been declared fit for the match against Delhi Dynamos. However, Molina revealed that Atletico de Kolkata marquee player, Helder Postiga isn’t fit for tomorrow’s fixture and is unlikely to return to the pitch before their match against North East United FC.