Stephen Constantine: Have to be very careful against Odisha FC

East Bengal have defeated the Juggernauts only once prior to this fixture.

East Bengal is set to play its third home game of the ISL 2022-23 season on Friday. The Red & Golds will have to face Odisha FC in front of what is expected to be a good crowd, especially after their fantastic win over Bengaluru FC last week. While Stephen Constantine's men will be keen to continue the momentum that they have gained from their previous win, Odisha FC will be looking to get back to winning ways after a lacklustre performance against Hyderabad where the side faced their second defeat of the campaign.

One day before the match, East Bengal head coach Stephen Constantine and central defender Ivan Gonzalez addressed a press conference. Edited excerpts from the same are as follows.

Positives from the last game

Constantine talked about the many positive takeaways from East Bengal's win over Bengaluru FC last week. He said, "The immediate positive was the clean sheet and the three points. One of the reasons for the clean sheet is sitting next to me (Ivan Gonzalez). We needed a good performance, we needed a 90 minutes performance. I think we got that against Bengaluru. And keeping the clean sheet was important for us."

Coach's view on Odisha FC

Stephen Constantine talked about how he feels about Odisha FC. He stated, "I think they are a very good side and are coached very well by Josep (Gomabu). He has an idea of how he wants the game to be played. We have watched them and are preparing for them. I cannot predict how many goals will be scored. I hope we get a clean sheet and I hope we win."

On Ivan Gonzalez's performance so far in the league

In reply to a question asking about his opinion on Ivan's performance in the league so far, Constantine heaped praise on his side's main centre-back. He said, "I think he has been consistent. It is something that I like, I demand. I need the players to be consistent week in and week out. He is a captain, he is a leader.

"I don't know if the last game was his best performance. He has been good in all of them. In some, he has been better than others. (Overall) He has been solid. You need that through the season and you need that in a team. I am very happy for him that he is playing so well," he added.

On East Bengal supporters

On being asked about the vocal support that East Bengal got in Bengaluru, the tactician reiterated the need for supporters in football. He said, "You need support. You need people who are going to look after you. This is what our fans do, they look after us. Be it home or away, there will be more Bengalis at the stadium than the supporters of some of the home teams. The fans support us.

The tactician added, "We are trying every day to improve, to give them the joy of three points, qualifying, and winning. This is why we play football. We play for the fans. We need them to support us. As I have already said many many times, you support us through thick and thin. You don't change your team. You have got to support your team through thick and thin, and they have done that."

On East Bengal strikers not being able to score much

While replying to a question enquiring about the coach's view on East Bengal's shortcomings in the final third, the head coach asserted that even though they are scoring less, the team is playing good football. He said, "We always look to play attacking football. This is our style. We will be aggressive, we will be fast. You would have seen that in our game against ATK Mohun Bagan that there was only one team on the field in the first half. We played very well for 70 minutes against Kerala. We played okay against NorthEast. So, we are getting the performances.

He continued, "In the last game, we had more of a complete performance for 90 minutes. The discipline of the players and good shape was there throughout the game. We will have to be very careful against Odisha. As I said, they are a very good side. They have a game plan and we will have to be ready for them. As I have said, there are no easy games in this league."

On the impressive performance shown by the Indian brigade

Stephen Constantine said that it is the duty of every player to perform in an impressive manner in every game. He said, "I expect them (East Bengal players) to impress. They are here to impress. Whether they are Indians or foreigners, it does not make a difference to me who plays in a game. Whoever plays has to give everything in a game.

The mentor continued, "When they give everything in a game and they understand their job, they will impress. VP Suhair was very good. Semboi was unbelievable in the last game in terms of his work rate. He did not score but he did so much. All of these guys are there to impress. That's their job. If they don't impress, they won't be playing."

The head coach added about Naorem Mahesh Singh, "I am happy for Mahesh. I think he has lots more. I hope he continues. The keyword here is that they are consistent. You cannot be fantastic today and in the next two games, you go missing in action. He was good yesterday (last match). If he is good in the next game and in the game after, then they (Igor Stimac and co) should be thinking about him for the national team. This is how I see it but they have to show consistency."

Ivan on playing for East Bengal

While voicing his feelings about playing for East Bengal, Ivan Gonzalez talked about East Bengal's history and big fanbase. He said, 'We know we represent a big club with a huge fanbase. For us, it is a kind of pressure, but in a good way. We know we represent a lot of people and a lot of history. This is a good thing for us. We will try to have a good performance in the game. If we can win, we will be very happy. For us, it is good to have this much passion in our fans."

Ivan's views on Odisha FC

Ivan expressed his opinion on the way Odisha FC play. He said, "I think they have a very creative style. They try to keep the ball. They try to play from the back. I know they have a Spanish coach. I also know their Indian coach. He was my coach at Goa, Clifford (Miranda). But also, when they lose the ball, they press high. We know their game and what they want and we are ready."