Gerard Zaragoza: We need to dominate the games

Gerard Zaragoza also mentioned that Bengaluru FC are the only non-Spanish club with whom he has kept contact throughout.

Bengaluru FC will face Jamshedpur FC in the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) match on December 16 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The club is going through a difficult period, having gone seven games without a win and coming off a 2-0 loss to Chennaiyin FC, which has been exacerbated by the arrival of their new coach, Gerard Zaragoza.

Before their match against Jamshedpur, Gerard Zaragoza spoke to the media at the pre-match press conference and was accompanied by the captain, Sunil Chhetri. Excerpts are below:

Remarks on his return to Bengaluru FC and plans for the future

When asked about his sentiments on his return to BFC, the new coach expressed delight. Zargoza said, “I’m so happy to be back. This is a club that has been in my heart since 2018. The only club after the ones in Spain that I always followed and I always kept in touch and spoke about the possibility to reunite.”

The tactician further added, “I am not thinking about next season, it’s about going game by game, three points by three points. We’ve seen what happened with BFC last year. We are not talking about a normal club, we are talking about BFC. We need the heart of our supporters, and we will change this. Football is maybe third or fourth on the list of things to do. We need to help these players recover first, not only as players but also as people.”

Reflections on their upcoming clash with Jamshedpur FC

Since this will be Gerard Zaragoza’s first match as Bengaluru FC’s new tactician, he has pondered on how they will seek for three points and use a match-by-match strategy to turn around their season.

The Spaniard said, “Everything is a challenge. We have training this afternoon, and we’re thinking only about tomorrow. Not about January or February or the Super Cup. The moment now, is for tomorrow’s game. I will try to bring my expectations to the players, as a coach. We have quality players, but they need to understand that this is a big club. It’s not easy to play for a big club, only the best will get the minutes. They have to show everyone that they can play for this club.”

The coach continued by emphasizing how he intends to implement his tactics in order to maximize the full potential of all players, “I’m Catalan. We like the offensive style of football, but it’s about momentum. Right now we need to organize, in defence and attack. I don’t talk about numbers, because they change during games. I like to play with three in the middle, but sometimes we attack with three at the back, and sometimes, it will be with one striker and three or four arriving. We need to dominate the games.”

Sunil Chhetri’s observations on team’s performance and immense fans’ support

The team’s captain shed light on the challenging time they are currently going through and how with the support of their huge fan base, they want to win three points and establish the club’s worth in front of their supporters.

Sunil Chhetri said, “We aren’t performing to the best of our abilities. It was strange to have too many away games, but it wasn’t the reason we have struggled. The only reason we haven’t got the wins, is because we haven’t played to the best of our abilities.”

Chhetri concluded by adding, “It’s just one day with the coach, but we want to bring the fight. Even if it’s just one supporter in the stands tomorrow, we will fight and we want them to leave with the thought that ‘that team fought for us. These fans have been amazing. We lost 4-0 to Mumbai and they were shouting our names. It was unbelievable. They didn’t do it because it was a gimmick. They’ve done it now, they’ve done it in the past. The appeal is now inside the dressing room. We want to give them something back.”

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