ISL: Delhi Dynamos coach defends playing style

New Delhi: Just one goal has come from two matches for Delhi Dynamos so far in the Indian Super League but coach Harm van Veldhoven on Friday defended his style of football and said it was a matter of time his players get the opposition net.

Van Veldhoven said that his style of play involving build-up through passing would also help Indian football.

"We can have better football and more goals, no doubt about that. But it's not that we did not the chances. We got them and missed them against Pune City FC. You have to take the chances and capitalised on those moments which decides a match," he said ahead of Dynamos' ISL match against Chennaiyin FC here tomorrow.

"I want more combination football. You saw it against Kolkata, building from the back with more possession. It takes more time and is difficult. It will help the Indian players to learn technically. It will be good for the national team in the long run. We are also here to help Indian football," he added.

"Football is not about kicking from the back line towards the goal. Yes, kicking goalwards many sometimes get goals but not always. You will have to circulate the ball, you cannot just put the ball at the goal."

The Dutchman said that tomorrow's match against Chennaiyin FC would be tough but crucial for his team.

"We played very well against Kolkata and I would take one point (from the 1-1 draw) in an away match. Tomorrow, it will be a tough match as Chennai have come after winning both their matches. We need to win," Van Veldhoven said.

"We played Del Piero high in the midfield against Kolkata and we had more control at the midfield. At home, you want to play high (to get more goals)," he said.

The coach said that he will have to use the flanks better if Chennai play defensively.

"If Chennai play five (players) at the back. Then wings can do better," he said.

Van Veldhoven said Danish player Morten Skoubo is unlikely to play tomorrow.

"It is a long tournament and I feels it is better if Skoubo play later. Pavel Elias (of Czech Republic) is the other player who has some issues. He has slight shoulder pain but I feel he can play tomorrow."

Chennaiyin FC coach Marco Materazzi also said he would not bring much change to his style of play. In their previous match against Kerala Blasters, Chennai played 3-4-1-2 formation initially but later changed to four at the back after Dhanachandra Singh came in for injured Abhishek Das.

"We don't want to change our game but you have to see the situation. In the last game, we did that, we changed the formation after Abhishek came out," the Italian World Cup winner said.

Materazzi, the manager-cum-player, said that Indian players were doing well in his team and they were learning from foreign players.

"We have players like Elano (Blumer) and (Bernard) Mendy and all the players are gelling well as a team. The Indian players like Balwant Singh, Jeje (Lalpekhlua) and Abhishek and Gouramangi are doing well. They are learning from the international players," said Materazzi who answered mostly through an interpretor.

Asked if there is any possibility of he coming out to play against his 2006 Italian World Cup winning team-mate Alessandro del Piero, Materazzi said, "Alessandro knows me very well and so it is better he plays against some player he does not know.

"No, I am not playing," he added.

Asked if France legend Zinedine Zidane accepted his challenge to the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS charity, Materazzi said, "I don't know. I don't go to internet."

Materazzi and Zidane were involved in the infamous headbutting incident during the 2006 World Cup final match.