By Dhruv Shah,
AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: Sreenidi Deccan coach Fernando Varela feels it will be a tough challenge for his club in their inaugural year in the Hero I-League 2021-22. In an exclusive interview with www.i-league.org about the preparation, build-up to the League, his exploits with Gokulam Kerala FC as a coach, reaching the IFA Shield final, and much more. EXCERPTS:

 This is your team's first season in the Hero I-League? What are your expectations and goals for the season?

The idea of our club is to try to do things in a professional way, to offer the players an infrastructure that supports them and to focus on constant improvement. Expectations will be given little by little, and we will approach every game as it comes.

Are teams that have impressed you with their performances in the run-up to the HIL?

Real Kashmir, RoundGlass Punjab, Neroca FC, Mohammedan SC have been impressive, along with us. From my point of view, I have already shown we are capable of winning the Hero I-League title.

You have previous coaching experience in the Hero I-League with Gokulam Kerala and last season with Churchill Brothers FC, where you narrowly missed out on the title. How would you describe your time in India so far?

I think my achievements speak more about me than I want them to. Winning the Kerala Premier League, the Durand Cup and reaching the semi-finals of the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup with a team who had a budget much lower than big teams like Bashundhara Kings of Bangladesh, or Terengganu FC of the Malaysian Super League was a very important achievement when I was in Gokulam.

What is the difference in Sreenidi being a new club?

It's a challenge because even though there are a lot of good players, this is the first time they are playing together. It's a task for me to get the chemistry right between all the players. My goal is to be able to instill in them a style of play that they can identify with and that they feel confident in playing.

How have the preparations been?

We started the pre-season in September and the players settled in the club's facilities in Hyderabad. We had double training sessions almost every day. I think the players are slowly but surely finding the rhythm and the dynamics that we are looking for.

You will be in a bio bubble for 4 months. Any specific thoughts?

We will face it in the best way and with the best of attitudes, the conditions will be the same for all the teams without privileges for anyone, only on the field we will have to show competitiveness to win the matches.

You reached the final of the IFA Shield. Where do you see room for improvement?

We have played a dynamic and attacking game. I think we have created a lot of goal scoring situations, and the rate of conversion needs to be higher. However, I still think we have room for improvement in all facets. We are in the process of building our style, and want to improve with every given day.