Mohammedan Sporting Club manager Raghunath Nandy insists he thrives in pressure situations as his side gears up for Friday’s Hero 2nd Division League preliminary round fixture against Chhinga Veng FC at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl, kick-off 2 pm.

Nandy came under pressure from their supporters after a lethargic performance by his team resulted in a 1-1 draw with NBP Rainbow Athletic Club in their previous league fixture, and he has it all to do now to convince the Mohammedan SC faithful that he is the right man for the job.

However, the concern Nandy has over Mohammedan SC’s slow start to the season doesn’t give him sleepless nights, as he argues The Black Panthers have enough quality to shake themselves out of their slumber.

The draw with Rainbow AC put Mohammedan SC in an awkward position, and they will look to get themselves out of that predicament by winning convincingly against Chhinga Veng.

Tactically Mohammedan SC looked poorer with defenders were exposed and looked incredibly vulnerable. There was no intensity in their play, they kept playing long balls, losing possession cheaply and failed to find the penetration needed to threaten the rival goal.

Nandy has acknowledged that things have to improve in order to win their next fixture.

“We can’t be coming out flat like that,” said Nandy. “We have to find a way to recover the team. This is a match where we need to show character.”

The former defender conceded that he will be under a considerable amount of pressure to win against Chhinga Veng, but he insists pressure can sometimes be a positive influence.

“About the pressure‚ every coach‚ every player that comes here to Mohammedan SC needs to understand‚ needs to accept that pressure‚” Nandy told mohammedansportingindia.com.

“Our job is to close the pressure because this is a big club that has got high expectations from the fans. We need to manage this pressure for the positive.”

“As a person 25 years in this job of coaching I understand if this pressure puts you in trouble‚ then this is a big problem. You need to exploit this pressure for motivation, to motivate the players,” he added.

(Mohammedan Sporting Club)