Karnataka (Bengaluru) [India], October 5 : East Bengal FC head coach Carles Cuadrat remained optimistic despite his team's 2-1 loss to Bengaluru FC in their first away match of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 season at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Throughout the entire 90 minutes, East Bengal FC crafted several goal-scoring opportunities but struggled to make the most of them. Despite taking an early lead, the hosts staged a remarkable comeback, leading to East Bengal FC's first loss of the season.
Cuadrat believes his team needs to be more precise when taking shots in order to convert them into goals. However, he commended his team's efforts and expressed that they are quickly adapting to his system.
"We were dominating every part of the game. And if you see the numbers, we have got twelve shots and Bengaluru FC only four shots. We have two shots on target. So, we have to increase (that). If you get twelve shots and two on target, it's not a good percentage," Cuadrat said in the post-match press conference as quoted by ISL's website.
"But I don't want to stress my players. They know, and we have been working on that in the training (sessions). So, it's not about putting pressure on them. It's just all of us be it the club or the supporters; all of us have to understand that football is like this. Quality in the boxes makes the difference," he added.
Nonetheless, the Spanish coach looked content with how his players were adapting to his playing system.
"I'm very happy with how the guys are understanding the system, how we are playing, and how we are not conceding chances, because we are not conceding chances and we are creating chances. So, this is football; the goals are going to happen," the Spaniard continued.
Naorem Mahesh Singh, who has been sensational for East Bengal FC since last year, gave the Red and Gold Brigade the lead in the game. He was played in on goal by Nandhakumar Sekar, and he executed a daunting run before calmly slotting the ball past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Commenting on the performance of Mahesh, Cuadrat said, "He has a lot of quality. We are very happy with his age, and he renewed the contract with the club, so it means a compromise with the project. So, I'm very happy with him. He has been coming from the national team with an injury, so I can see now that he's not still 100% fit. But these days, I hope that in the national team, they take care of him and that he comes back in perfect condition," he added.
The Red and Gold Brigade will face FC Goa in their next match on October 21 at their home ground. There is more than a two-week break between their next game, and when head coach Cuadrat was quizzed about this matter, he responded that they would make the most of this time to prepare for their forthcoming fixture.
"Yeah, we have a plan. We have some games to play, friendly matches. We will play against Gokulam Kerala FC. We'll play another match. And it's an opportunity also for new transfer Hijazi (Maher) to get fit and get ready for the team to understand our tactics. Also, for some players that have been not participating a lot. So yeah, we have a good plan, and we will keep working for the team," he concluded.
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