It’s very difficult but we have to manage our schedule, asserts East Bengal's Dipankar Biswas

East Bengal have secured three points in IWL 2023-24 so far.

After starting with a bang against Sports Odisha, things have not been smooth for East Bengal FC in the Indian Women’s League (IWL) 2023-24. The Red & Gold Brigade have faced defeat in their other two games against Kickstart & Sethu FC. With an aim to turn things around, EBFC will lock horns with HOPS FC in their first outing of 2024.

East Bengal FC women’s team head coach Dipankar Biswas appeared for a media interaction ahead of their clash against HOPS FC at the East Bengal Ground on 4th January 2024.

Here are Dipankar Biswas’ thoughts ahead of their first clash of this year.

Thoughts on losing the previous game

When head coach Dipankar Biswas was asked about losing their previous game, he commented, “We have learned from our mistakes in the previous game. We have rectified some of them. I won’t be mentioning them here. Hope it will be reflected in tomorrow’s game.”

Thoughts on cramped schedule

A few days back, the Kanyashree Cup came to a close with its final game on 29th December 2023. The team will be taking on HOPS FC in their IWL clash.

When asked about the cramped match schedules, the coach replied, “It’s very difficult actually. The Kanyashree Cup has just concluded but the IWL schedule was already released in prior. So, we have to manage our schedule and do it accordingly. The players are getting tired but if we don’t manage it, the competition won’t happen. The games in women’s football whatsoever.”

Thoughts on defending woes

For the last two games, errors in the backline are something that has barred the Kolkata side from bagging those three points. The coach had his say on this. “The team for Kanyashree Cup and IWL is different. In the case of IWL, I can say that, we have rectified our shortcomings in the backlines and I hope the players won’t be repeating those errors in tomorrow’s game.”

Thoughts on bringing in national players

Last season, the Indian Women’s League made its debut. The backlines saw a huge set of youngsters but in this season, national players have made their way into the IWL. They have brought in their talent and experience. A great example can be Michel Castanha herself.

Upon saying this the coach commented, “The change is visible now. You have seen the team and players play during the last season and this season too. We have played the last match really well but lost the game due to those mistakes that we made during the course of the game. The standard of play has developed. Everyone has now started watching the tournament and they are liking it. What else can be better than this?”

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