New York City FC head coach Pascal Jansen is keeping his side grounded ahead of their matchup with New England Revolution this Saturday.
City welcomes the New England Revolution to Yankee Stadium on Saturday—exactly ten years after their first-ever home game in MLS against the Revs, which ended in a 2-0 victory for City.
Caleb Porter’s side have endured a tough start to the campaign, recording one draw and two defeats in their opening three games. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Jansen was keen to preach focus and the need for continued improvement on Saturday in order to secure a win.
“That's so interesting, because this is the first time I'm going to see my squad after a win in the league,” he said.
“Obviously, I've seen them perform after a win in preseason, but we all know that the league can bring something extra so going into this game, it is very clear there are no guarantees from the previous game.
“We have to do even better and be better than we were in the previous game in order to be successful again. So that's the thing that drives us.”
City enters the game fresh off their first MLS win under Jansen. Goals from Alonso Martínez and Hannes Wolf helped New York City record a 2-1 win against Orlando City SC on Saturday, and while momentum is on City’s side because of that result, Jansen confirmed the team’s preparation remains unchanged.
“Our preparation doesn't change a bit,” he said. “We have our routines. We always prepare ourselves to the max going into our game, so that doesn't change.
“The only thing, like you mentioned in your question, is that New England have had a bad start to the season, unfortunately, so they'll be looking for a moment to recover.
“That is something that makes them predictable, and we have to be prepared for that and go into this game like we did in the previous games, but also knowing that they will be looking for a moment to get back on their feet.
“We must be prepared for this.”
He later added, “I'm very excited and very honored to be the coach leading the team into this next decade, but my main focus is on performing each and every match and trying to be as successful as we can as a club and as a team.”
With competition for places heating up, particularly in midfield, City’s head coach also acknowledged that selection dilemmas remain one of the most challenging parts of his job.
“That's part of being a coach,” he said with a smile.
“You cannot make everybody happy. I watch my guys very closely throughout the week. We make our plan as a staff and include the players as much as we can, and then the decisions will be made going into Saturday's game.
“Of course, you take into consideration the previous performance and how the balance in the squad and in the team must be going into a game.
“But I mentioned this also after the game on Saturday, concerning a few other situations, my approach is always team first—that will never change.”
