We are getting punished for mistakes, says Simon Grayson

Published at :November 12, 2022 at 4:52 PM

Modified at :December 13, 2023 at 1:01 PM

(Courtesy : ISL Media)

This is the Blues' third consecutive loss.

East Bengal emerged victorious against Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, riding on former Blues' forward Cleiton Silva’s 69th minute goal. The defeat further compounded BFC’s disastrous start to the season and it extended the goal draught to three matches. A dejected Simon Grayson addressed the media after the defeat.

Three losses in a row

Bengaluru FC have now lost three on the trot and sit in ninth place. The dismal defeat against East Bengal saw BFC glance just one shot on target and the dry run of goals continued.

Coach Simon Grayson said, “Until the goal going in I thought we looked a threat. We played with a tempo with and without the ball, we pressed in the right areas and there was a lot more intensity. Javi was a constant threat, but we haven’t done the hard things in the 18-yard box such as hitting the target or working the keeper.

He continued, "That comes with confidence, belief, and quality as well and that was the thing that was missing. Both teams were having a really good go to win it and my disappointment was the mistake Suresh made. He should have cleared it and after that, we rushed things and panicked a lot. We made the wrong decisions, and the goal rocked us. Couldn’t fault the players’ desire and that is as good as we have played the last 3-4 weeks.”

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On Sivasakthi’s absence

The lack of attacking firepower has been the root cause for a lack of chances and goals for BFC. Roy Krishna missed a game due to injury and Sivasakthi has been absent since coming off against Odisha. Simon Grayson provided an update on the forward’s injury.

He said, “He rolled his ankle against Odisha and then had a setback in training. Hopefully, he is not too far away. More attacking options give us a threat on the top end of the pitch, and we need them. We are not creating enough chances or being clinical enough. We have to be more ruthless while getting into those positions.”

Three difficult fixtures coming up

Bengaluru FC have a run of two challenging away games against Mumbai and Goa before ATK Mohun Bagan visit the Kanteerava. Grayson outlined the plans to stop the sequence of losses, “We have got to stick together. There is nobody else that can stop the run of losses. We have to take the positives out of what was a decent performance, learn from the experience of the last 15-20 minutes when we conceded, and we go again.

He added, "Why can’t we go to Mumbai and win? That is football. Nobody is going to give us an easy ride. It is tough at the moment. We are getting punished for mistakes. The last three defeats have all been by 1-0.

"We have to stay together, believe together, and keep working hard. East Bengal managed the game well, they went down a few times and killed the pace of the game. That happens in football and we got to deal with it. We have to learn from every experience,” he concluded.