This year there has been no downside in view so far. Chima Okorie says he is enjoying his stint with the club and will be with them in the coming season too. Currently his team is playing in the fourth Lt Governor’s invitational tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium, and opened the tourney with a 2-0 defeat of Punjab Police.

“I am enjoying my stint here and I am not thinking much about future tournaments. Neither my players nor me have any kind of pressure on us. We are taking it as it comes,” Chima told Sportline.

Their first appearance in the I-League second division is a month away, but Chima says he does not want to push into the strategising zone yet. “There is still some time before the second division starts and we are not thinking so far. Right now we want to take it step by step. It’s an ongoing process. The more we play, the more we learn. After we finish this tournament we will think about it,” he said.

Despite winning the Senior Division league, the coach feels that he needs four more players to make his team complete. “All I can say is that I am in talks with four Delhi players, but I cannot reveal their names now. If I get them then my team will be complete. The best part about my team is that we play as a unit and we don’t depend on one single player. Right now all I am planning is to get Delhi into the 1st division I-League,” he added.

Though Delhi has seen a decline in spectators for the local leagues, he says that within the next three years things will change. “Delhi will be the next big thing in India as far football is concerned. All it requires is initiative from coaches and players. If we start playing entertaining football like in European soccer then things will definitely change,” Chima said.

Chima, who also gives training to young kids at DPS R K Puram, says that the mindset of the young kids are changing and they want to play like Manchester United. “I feel happy when young kids come up to me and say that they don’t want to play like the India play, but want to follow how top teams in the English Premier League play,” Chima added.