No-nonsense Ba coach Imdad Ali says critics make them stronger as they prepare for the semifinal against Rewa in the 2023 Digicel Fiji FACT on Saturday.
Ali said they have a strong team culture and the players are determined to give their all to end their 13-year drought in the tournament.
“Be patient and support the team instead of criticising us. It does not deter my boys and we take it as a motivation to prove the critics wrong,” he told FijiLive.
“There are a lot of critics and they don’t show up in the training sessions or when we need financial assistance. The only thing critics can do is make negative comments on social media and pass comments when Ba loses.”
“When we lose, people say to change the coach or don’t give game time to certain players but when we win they change their mindset.”
Ali added the traditional giants of football will improve on all aspects of the game ahead of the clash against the delta tigers.
“There are a lot of improvements to be done. Rewa will be a strong team and we played them in the league but lost.”
“I have spent less time with our Under 20 players and this week, we will focus on them. There are a few niggling injuries and we have to give time for players to recover.”
“We might opt for a different game strategy and map out some plans because our aim is to win against Rewa.”
RC Manubhai Ba will face Glamada Investments Rewa at 4.30pm at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.
