IN CONVERSATION is a new panel which will feature on a regular basis on our Website & Social Media handles. In this panel, we will try to reach out to people who are & have been an integral part of the Mumbai Strikers SC. We feel it will be a wonderful medium of knowing how members from the management, coaching staff and the teams, spent their time here at the club and a little more about them.

For our first catch, we are IN CONVERSATION with Mr. Maclin D’Penha. After joining MS in 2018-19, he is currently the Head Coach of the Mumbai Strikers SC Senior Men’s Football Team. Maclin runs his own academy called Football World in Thane and is a favorite with the kids out there. He not only coaches football, but also spends quality time with his friends playing the game. Let us see what the Manchester United Fan has to say.

Congratulations on being awarded your AFC B License, Maclin. How was your experience in the course? And what would you advise people who aspire to be coaches?

Thank you. It was a really good experience.I think the course was informative both on and off the pitch. I tried to gain as much as possible from the course.Also, there was a lotto learn from fellow coaches. Their ideas on how they coach at their respective academies/clubs were amazing.It was overall a great learning experience.

I think all those who aspire to be coaches must be willing to learn and strive for continuous improvement.

After being the assistant coach at MS last season, how did you feel on being declared the head coach this year?

I was happy and very excited to be honest but, at the same time i was aware of the responsibility and the challenge that lied ahead, both for me and the team.

How would you describe your entire tenure here at Mumbai Strikers SC? In what way has it helped you as a coach?

Enjoyable! Have really enjoyed myself here and I always look forward to the next training session or match to be involved and help the team.

It has helped me immensely to understand how football at the senior level works.It was something I had not been exposed to in coaching before and it gave me a chance to implement my ideas in the game because everything seems easy until we try to put it in action. Therefore,it helped me understand what works and what needs to be improved further.So yes it has helped me apply myself too.

The team had a good run this season until the break. What do you think were the vital factors that contributed to it?

Yes we have had a string of good results until the break.During the course, I think the team has shown really good character and have stuck together. One important factor has been the clarity in relation to the team objectives and the role they have had to play as individuals to achieve the same.There have been some individual performances that have helped us too but, overall I’d like to say it has been a great team effort so far.

Coaching as all know isn't an easy job. As a coach, what are the difficulties you face on and off the field?

On the pitch during a training session or a match not everything goes to plan at times.As a coach i have to adapt and improvise & come up with solutions which is challenging because solutions are situational.

Off the pitch for me, I think it is really difficult to find some time for myself given that I'm constantly involved in coaching so getting that balance has been a struggle.

What would be your advice to the players, both present and upcoming?

Both present and upcoming players must keep working hard and take nothing for granted they must also understand that there will bad days too but, you just got to keep making your best possible effort whether in training or a match to be successful.

Who is your favorite coach and why?

Jose Mourinho is one of my favorites I would say because he is a tactical genius. He has won with teams even when his team has been the underdog.

What did you think about the squad that was made available to you on your selection as Head Coach? How helpful was the management at MS in that respect?

I was given the responsibility to lead MS after the opening 3 games of the season. I had joined as one of the assistant coaches last season and so I had known most of the players in the team. So when I took up as Head Coach, I didn't really think too much about the players available in the squad because I already knew these are really committed and hardworking group of players.

Immediately after my appointment as Head Coach, me along with Coach Varun met with the CEO of Mumbai Strikers SC. We put our thoughts forward about how we need to approach the rest of the season and discussed broadly about the players we had available. I must say that was one of the most important discussions given how the season has turned out so far.

What are your views on the philosophy of Mumbai Strikers in terms of their squad selection & management?

The MS philosophy in terms of squad selection is to look for players who can really stay committed and put in the effort for the team, which i think is really important. As mentioned earlier, you can see that in the players we have here at the moment. As far as management of squad is concerned, the one change I see from last season is a smaller squad size which has helped us function more efficiently.