Stephen Constantine: Definitely a case of two points lost tonight

The head coach lambasted the training facilities and rued not sealing full points.

East Bengal were held to a 1-1 draw by fellow Indian Super League (ISL) side Odisha FC in their opening group game in the Super Cup on Sunday. The Red & Gold Brigaders took the lead in the 38th minute through Mobashir Rahman’s clever strike.

However, Odisha roared back in the second half and Nandhakumar Sekar’s equalizer in the 73rd minute proved to be definitive in making the teams split the points on the night. Stephen Constantine was present at the post-match press conference and cut an irritated figure.

Two points lost

Stephen Constantine insisted that his side lost two points and that they had enough chances to win, “It’s definitely a case of two points lost tonight. We had enough chances to win two games today. The boys played very game considering we hadn’t have played a competitive game in 50 days now. They did what we asked them to do, but we couldn’t get the second goal which could’ve killed Odisha. They fought back to get the point, but I feel they were fortunate to get that point.”

Constantine’s praise for Kamaljit

The Englishman had a lot of praise for goalkeeper Kamaljit for some key saves, “He had a decent game, but you’re talking about two chances in 90 minutes. We hit the post, we had three-four clear-cut chances, and three ran across the goalpost. You can’t compare our chances with the ones they had. Kamaljit had a good game, but yeah.”

Jake Jervis missed a few huge scoring chances for East Bengal. Constantine acknowledged that but indicated it could be because of lack of match sharpness, “He missed three or four great chances. But the last time we played was against ATK Mohun Bagan in February. That is a long gap not to play football. That comes down to the organization about why we’re having a Super Cup forty days after the league ended. That makes no sense for anybody.”

Rant on the poor organization of Super Cup

Constantine unleashed a shocking rant at the poor organization on the Kerala Football Association’s part for the Super Cup, as he explained, “When you host a tournament, I don’t see how eight teams can train in one pitch. Yesterday, we had to train at eight o’clock at night, there were no lights, and the lights were not adequate to cover the pitch. They were no lines on the pitch. There was nobody there to receive us, so when we reached the door was locked, so we had to walk all the way outside of the stadium.

“Yesterday, I travelled 2+ hours for a press conference and not even a glass of water was offered when I reached there. Nothing! We did a press conference that lasted exactly five minutes and there was only one question from the media. And then I had to travel two hours back. You could’ve had where the games were being played or where the teams were stationed at. This is madness! I don’t know who looks into these things, but we need to do a better job,” he also added.

Thoughts on fielding young Indian defenders

Constantine trusted his domestic players and played an almost all-Indian backline on the day. He voiced his pride on his players’ performances, saying: “I thought they did very well. We had an all-Indian back four in our only friendly game before this. We played Athul (Unnikrishnan) from the reserves and Tuhin Das from the reserves too. This is what my legacy here is about. It’s about developing players. We just saved the club quite a few lakhs. They don’t immediately need a right-back or left-back. Anywhere I am, as long as I’m the coach, I will work hard to develop players for my team.”

India call-up on the way for Mobashir?

The Englishman also believes that goal-scorer Mobashir Rahman is on an upwards trajectory and could be called up for the Indian national team soon. He remarked, “I think he’s peaking now. I don’t know if he can make it in time for the AFC Asian Cup next year. But the kid is good. I told Naorem Mahesh in the summer that if he did what I told him to, you’ll be in the national team. He got called up and it was fully deserved.

“I think it’s a matter of time before Mobashir gets his opportunity and I could even say that Lalchungnunga is another player with high potential. I think the two kids, Athul and Tuhin did a great job in a proper, competitive game. So I’m very happy for us. It’s two points lost for us, but the boys played very well and deserved to win,” he also added.

Final dig at Kerala Football Association

Constantine ended his press conference with a sly dig at the organizers, stating what he requires upon visiting another pre-match media day. He said: “I hope you all can offer me tea, biscuits, and a sandwich the next time that I visit a press conference here.”