Carlos Vaz Pinto urges focus on controllables ahead of Inter Kashi’s ISL opener in Pune
Inter Kashi manager Carlos Vaz Pinto set out his priorities ahead of his side’s Indian Super League opener against Kerala Blasters at the Sree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune on October 11, 2026, telling reporters he will concentrate on what he can control. The comments came as the Varanasi club prepare for their first match of the MG ISL 2026-27 season.
Inter Kashi entered the new season having undergone significant change after a difficult pre-season, appointing Portuguese coach Carlos Vaz Pinto and registering a 22-player squad that includes 16 new signings. The club’s recruitment list features Albino Gomes, Laldinliana Renthlei, Pratik Chaudhari, Leewan Castanha, Hitesh Sharma, Jitendra Singh, Sreekuttan V S, Ayush Chhikara & Thoi Singh Huidrom. Inter Kashi have also confirmed the Sree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune as their home venue for the upcoming MG ISL 2026-27 season.
Pinto spoke to a small group of journalists in Pune on Saturday evening and had yet to inspect the playing surface for Sunday’s match; his second training session with the squad was scheduled for later that night. With only two team sessions before the opener, the coach acknowledged the limited time available to work with the players.
On managing expectations and preparation, Pinto said: “As a coach, I have to focus on the things I can control. We cannot improve the fitness levels of the players in two days. They are all professionals and have been doing individual workouts before joining us, but that is different from training with the team,” Vaz said. “What I have tried to do in these two days is work on the general principles of the team and explain what I want from them. There has been more verbal communication, more discussions and more videos. Because if I try to do everything in two days, the players might not even be physically ready to play tomorrow.”
Pinto identified defensive structure as a priority while also outlining attacking ideas. “Our focus has been on tactical organisation, especially defensive organisation, because we have to build a new team and we have to start from the back. Of course, we have also shared some attacking ideas, and we will work on a few more details,” he added.
Long-serving forward Sumeet Passi, 32, who joined Inter Kashi in September 2023 and was part of their 2024–25 I-League-winning campaign that earned promotion to the ISL, will wear the captain’s armband for the match. On the limited preparation time, Passi said: “The coach’s ideas were very clear in the first session. We know that we have limited time, so we have to focus on what the coach wants us to do. All of us are professionals. We will gradually improve, but considering it was our first training session together, I think we did well,” Passi added.
Inter Kashi’s season opener against Kerala Blasters is scheduled for October 11, 2026 at the Sree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune with kickoff at 5:00 PM IST; the match will be broadcast live on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD and streamed free on YouTube.
