Expressing concern and disappointment after Delhi Dynamos were held to a draw for the third time in four matches, coach Harm van Veldhoven said they need to improve quickly if they are to finish among the top four sides in the Indian Super League.
"We are a bit disappointed with three draws in four matches but we have to deal with it and move forward. If we want to finish in top four, we have to make improvements. Dropping points twice at home was not ideal," Veldhoven said at the post-match press conference following his side's goal-less draw against NorthEast United FC on Thursday.
"My players were running hard and trying their best but I feel they have not played to their full potential. We have not seen fully what we can play. My players have not done all the things which I would have wanted them do," he added.
Veldhoven said that his side was under severe pressure in the first 10 minutes but recovered later on. "In the first 10 minutes, the balance was lacking in the team and we were under pressure. We settled down later on as the match progressed but the lack of balance in the team was something we have to look at," he said.
He also justified substituting captain Alessandro Del Piero in the 57th minute, though the Italian legend was doing a decent job. "At that point of time, I was looking for my players to press forward together. I saw it was lacking and I thought [Gustavo] Dos Santos would be a better option," he said.
In the four matches that the Dynamos have played, they drew against Pune FC and Atletico de Kolkata before the latest result. They had beaten Chennaiyin FC 4-1 in their previous match at home.
The match was evenly contested with the biggest crowd turning up at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Wednesday. NorthEast United too had their share of supporters among the 20,000-odd crowd with a large number of Delhi-based youngsters from the eight states of that region turning up to cheer for them.
Hans Mulder, who was also present alongside Veldhoven and Mizoram lad Shylo Malswamtluanga, said he was "wondering" whether he was playing at home or away.
"I was wondering initially whether I was playing at home or away. Some of the crowd was joking at me. But later on I could hear a lot of support for me and for my side. I enjoyed the crowd support," he said.
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