Josep Gombau: Players will give their everything for a good result

The head coach also shared how Odisha FC have planned to derail East Bengal.

Odisha FC aim to maintain their spirited start to the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season when they face East Bengal at the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday. Josep Gombau's side have won three of their first five games, and a win against the Kolkata side can see them jump to third place in the ISL standings. This will also mark Odisha FC’s first ISL game since their loss to Hyderabad FC on 5th November.

Prior to the match, head coach Josep Gombau and defender Carlos Delgado addressed the media. Here's what they had to say.

Gombau reflects on the long gap from Odisha’s last game

When asked about how prepared his team is for this game, head coach Josep Gombau said: "After the Hyderabad loss, we’ve had a long time without a game. We got our rest and had some days off after which the players returned to training. We’re ready for the game tomorrow and the team is playing well. We’re excited to play in this iconic stadium, and I hope we can get a good result.”

Assessment of East Bengal

Giving his own assessment of East Bengal, the Spaniard opined: “As you can see the results in the league, I think the ISL is very equal in competition. Every single team can beat everyone else. East Bengal are coming on the back of a very good result from Bengaluru, it’s difficult to get points from that stadium. They are now in a good moment and we need to try and play our football, to bring the game to the moment we want it at and get a good result from here.”

Another high-scoring clash on the cards?

Incidentally, the last four ISL games between East Bengal and Odisha FC have produced a whopping 28 goals. After being questioned if he expects a high-scoring thriller on Friday, Josep Gombau said: “I saw this morning that the last game between the two teams produced a lot of goals. See, the more the goals are scored at a game, the better it is for the people in the stadium. I hope we can have a good game and that the people visiting can enjoy it, and of course that the result is in our favour.”

Appreciation for the Odisha FC fans

The Odisha FC boss also voiced his appreciation for the fans that will travel to Kolkata for the game, saying: “The people who will come all the way from Bhubaneswar to watch us, we’re very grateful for them. Not just because they are travelling here but also because of how they’re supporting us throughout the season. We’ll work very hard and every single player will put in their everything to bring a good result home.”

Players have benefitted from a 12-day gap?

When asked if he feels this gap of almost two weeks has benefitted Odisha FC after the loss to Hyderabad, Gombau stated:  “We can’t really choose the gap because the schedule is like this. Every team will have this gap because in every game week there is a team that is not playing.

“We got a few days off which is good as it helps refresh the mind of the players. Then they came back to work filled with energy and very focused. This moment will come for every team, but we have a clear idea on how we want to play tomorrow and get a good result from here,” he added.

Possible strategy to ruin the party for East Bengal

Speaking about what his team’s strategy will be to keep the East Bengal frontline quiet and get a result from Kolkata, the Spaniard explained: “As I said, every team can beat every other team in this league. We have a lot of respect for East Bengal, they’ve won two out of their last four games – both away as well! They’re excited to bring a good game here at home. Our job is to try and ensure that they can’t have a good game tomorrow. I hope we have a clear idea in the way we want to attack and how we want to ply.

“We have to be consistent in the way we play and how we attack. We also have to minimize their attack threaten, especially how they break in the transitions and that they don’t have chances on counter-attacks. Then we can have a good result,” he concluded.

Carlos Delgado’s comments

Odisha FC defender Carlos Delgado also accompanied his coach to the pre-match press conference. Speaking about his thoughts on the visit to Kolkata for the game, he said: “We know the pressure because we’ve seen them. I’m happy because tomorrow is my first game here in Kolkata. We’re happy to play because it's been a long time since we played against Hyderabad. If we can win, we’ll get close to the top of the table.”