Simon Grayson lambasts Bengaluru FC for allowing CFC too many opportunities

The Blues returned with only a point despite playing with a man advantage.

Bengaluru FC were held to a 1-1 draw against Chennaiyin FC in their second match of ISL 2022-23. The Blues dominated the outing for the initial 20 minutes but instead of picking themselves up, they lost focus and allowed the home team a route back into the match. Chennaiyin FC midfielder Prasanth scored the equaliser just before the half time to nullify the opener by Roy Krishna. Bengaluru FC manager Simon Grayson was disappointed with the performance and addressed the media post the final whistle.

Here's what the Bengaluru FC head coach said:

Thoughts on the game

Simon Grayson started with his takeaways from the game. “I think we started the game really well. We passed the ball well, scored the early goal and played with good temper. We moved around well, we looked like the dominant and more confident team. But I am disappointed about the fact that we allowed them too many opportunities to get on the ball. We defended well with the balls coming in the box.”

The manager also commented on the comeback of Chennaiyin FC. “About 120 seconds before the half time, we switched off and they are back in the game. And it changed the mentality of everybody. Again we did okay, but we have to keep the ball better. We gave the ball away far too easily.”

Team’s lacklustre attack in the end

Chennaiyin FC’s goalkeeper Debjit Majumder was shown a red card for taking the last man down outside the box. But the forwards of Bengaluru FC failed to utilise the opportunity to win it against 10-men Chennaiyin FC.

“In the last 10 minutes, we didn’t ask enough questions to the opposition. We hadn’t shot on target, we didn’t put crosses into the box. Players were waiting for somebody else to grab the game. But you have to be the one to go and try to win the game. And we wanted to do that,” asserted Simon Grayson disappointedly.

Team’s too-defensive approach

Bengaluru FC were evidently defending too deep after scoring the opener. And as it mostly happens, the action backfired with a lame draw despite being the better team.

“Well, I think the mentality changed when we got the goal. We went with real purpose in the game, we passed the ball, we dominated and we got the goal. But then after that, we gave away the ball too cheaply. We allowed Chennaiyin FC, who are a good team, to create few opportunities.”

“And probably we got clawed between defending too deep and not attacking quick enough with possession on the ball,” he completed.

Taking Sivasakthi off

The coach decided to take young prodigy, Sivasakthi Narayanan, off at the half time. Asked about the reason behind this despite the forward's rich form, Simon Grayson said:

“Look, he did well last week when we played NorthEast United. A lot of players do not play to their capabilities at times. He deserves to be in the team, his work ethic and his pace give us something different. We sacrificed him to try to keep the ball better.

"That was the reason why I took Shiva off. We respect every player for what they’ve done in the game. We are trying to get the best within the framework of the team, it’s not about the individual,” the coach signed off.