FC Pune City have named Spaniard Antonio Lopez Habas as their head coach for the third edition of the Indian Super League (ISL). Habas was the coach of Atletico de Kolkata in the first two editions of the tournament, guiding them to the trophy in the first season and the semi-finals last year.
He was also named 'Coach of the Year' in the first season, and the 58-year-old now has high hopes from the Pune franchise and wants to guide them to the title in the upcoming season.
In an interview with News18, Habas said: "First of all it is important that we try and win the group stage and then think about the title from there on."
Pune failed to qualify for the semi-finals last year and Habas says the challenge to revive Pune's fortunes is what lured him towards the job and switch his loyalties.
"The Pune project is very exciting for me. The people here are emotional and supporting me, that is very important for me. My aim here is to first get a group of players together, make a competitive team and then eventually win," he added.
The ISL has generated plenty of fanfare, and the focus has been on 'grass-root development' but in the last few months or so we have seen the Chinese Super League taking the football world by surprise with some big signings.
When asked whether ISL can match the popularity level of the Chinese Super League, Habas said every league has its own charm.
"Yes, ISL can match Chinese Super League popularity but China is doing very important thing - they are taking care of the academy. So it depends country to country. China is different and India is different."
"The local Indian players are very talented. They are intelligent and technically sound. They are smart when they are on the pitch," he told in an e-mail interview.
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