I will be rooting for Agut in Maharashtra Open: Tebar

“I am a big tennis fan. I will be rooting for my countryman Roberto Bautista (Agut) but I am looking forward to watching some action-packed games at the Balewadi Sports Complex as well,” Tebar expressed his adoration for the sport. 

The former Delhi Dynamos man seems to be relishing the off-field friendship with his overseas comrades. “We have a wonderful bunch of foreign players who are familiar with Spanish. It helps us share a very good camaraderie among us.” 

The 31-year-old is upbeat about his side making it to the final four for the first time in ISL. “We certainly possess the quality to make it to the playoffs. The lads are ambitious and are eager to make an impact this time around. Making it to the semi-finals is our sole objective. Once we get there, we will have a go at the title.” The defensive midfielder waxed lyrical about the side’s principal forwards, Emiliano Alfaro and Marcelinho. 

“They are one dangerous duo who could tear apart every defence in the league. But the side also boasts of other attacking options in (Jonatan) Lucca, Ashique (Kuruniyan), Diego (Carlos), et al,” he  said. The Madrid-born athlete is also sanguine about the prospect of his former side challenging for the La Liga title, countering FC Barcelona. 

“It’s going to be hard because there is a big gap between them after the defeat (in the ‘El Clasico’) but I’m sure Real Madrid will fight for the league till the very end,” said a confident Tebar. 

When asked if the increase in the number of Indian players has taken a toll in maintaining the quality of the league, he said, “I don’t feel the standard has reduced. In fact, it has only gone on to allow the young and promising talents in the country to express themselves on the pitch with regular game time. A lot of these local players are making the most out of it.”  

The Spaniard remained reticent when queried about the contrasts in the coaching styles of Ranko Popovic and his former manager Gianluca Zambrotta. Commenting on it, he added, “It’s not right for me to compare the coaches that I have worked under. But both of them have played indispensable roles in my career as a footballer.” 

The 2003 FIFA Under-17 World Cup runner-up expressed his dissatisfaction about his team’s position in the league standings. 

“I would have been pleased if we had remained on top of the pile. I am not satisfied with our performances in our recent home games but we can take consolation from the fact that we raised our bar against FC Goa,” signed off the Spaniard.