Junker: Pune were boring with five defenders

The Danish striker admitted that there are times when players do not wish to train on an artificial surface as it is hard on the ankles…

Delhi Dynamos failed to make the most of the chances they created in the first half against FC Pune City and after the break, the tempo of the game slowed down considerably. The foreign contingent of the two teams couldn’t cope with the humid weather conditions and Mads Junker confirmed the same.

“I think it will take time for everyone to get used to the climate. Today it was not that warm compared to the last couple of weeks. But it’s still warm for the European players who are not used to this heat and humidity. We played on high energy for 60-to-70 minutes and that kind of phases out towards the end,” acknowledged Junker.

The 33-year old mentioned that while the players will be expected to get used to of the conditions eventually, while some may adapt, others may not as was witnessed at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“With more energy we could've played more on the counter and maybe clinched the game. On one hand it will take time to get acclimatized but on the other hand, there will be things we can't get used to. It was seen in the World Cup as well in South America,” he explained.

Junker stated that it was tough for Dynamos to get a positive result against Pune as the opposition just sat deep into their own half.

“The other team too should play up and down and only then it is fun. Instead of that way Pune played by sitting back with five defenders which is boring. But it’s okay, they got their result and you've got to respect that.

“Yes, we were unlucky (not to score). Sometimes it just doesn't go your way. Hopefully, we will do better in the next game. But I'm happy with the way we played offensive football,” he commented.

With Delhi Dynamos set to face Atletico de Kolkata next on Sunday at the Salt Lake stadium, Junker believes that training on an artificial turf has its pros and cons.

“It’s something we have to get used to. We have played on it before in Holland. I don't know if we are going to train on it or not. Sometimes we prefer to do it but sometimes we don't because of the pressure on the ankles.

“We are going to need our fast players to make an impact on the artificial turf.”