Marco Pezzaiuoli feels every team wants top spot in AFC Cup Group D

The tactician was joined by defender Yrondu Musavu-King as the two expressed their thoughts on the upcoming fixture.

Bengaluru FC are set to take on in-form Bashundhara Kings on August 21 in their second AFC Cup group stage clash. Despite their 2-0 loss to ATK Mohun Bagan in their opening game, there were quite a few takeaways from the match. Their ball possession and the vital role that the trio of Roshan Singh, Suresh Wangjam and Cleiton Silva could offer showed promise. However, The Blues would need a lot more than just that to expect better outcomes while facing Bangladeshi outfit. Ahead of the match, head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli and defender Yrondu Musavu-King spoke at the pre-match press conference.

Regarding his attitude going into the game, Pezzaiuoli began, "As I said the last time, I can see the glass half-empty or half-full, and my choice is to see it half-full. We have a third game after this, but football is a lot about mentality. We are strong enough in that aspect, we have prepared well and we are fit enough to play."

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On facing Bashundhara Kings

Marco Pezzaiuoli also spoke about the team's performance in the previous game and how he would potentially take on Bashundhara Kings.

"We had almost 70% possession but created just one chance against ATK Mohun Bagan. We're playing against a team from Bangladesh who scored 55 goals in the League, finishing champions, conceded only nine goals and winning their first group game 2-0," he stated.

"They score a lot of goals and have a strong defence, they are compact at the back and counter very well. Maybe we go backwards a bit and give them more space. We can maybe create space behind them to score goals and create chances," he added.

Pressure after the defeat

"There is no pressure. Football is not about pressure, it's about enjoying. We enjoy the games, and there is no pressure for us. I think every team wants to be the number one in the group. We want to win, and so does Bashundhara Kings," the 52-year-old answered when asked about the pressure going into this fixture.

"They are highly motivated and have a lot of energy, but in football you can compensate with other things. With team spirit, with good technique and individual skills, we need to improve that aspect in the final third. We spoke about it and trained accordingly. We had chances, but we didn't score so we need a little bit of luck also on our side. They (ATKMB) had two chances that we were not in position for, during the corner kick, and these are things that we will improve in this game (against Bashundhara) and see if the team will have chances or not."

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The Blues' motivation now in comparison to facing ATK Mohun Bagan

Marco Pezzaiuoli also spoke about the need for maximum motivation regardless of playing domestic or international rivals.

"We were highly motivated in our first game, because we played against ATKMB, a team from India. I understand that it is similar against a team from Bangladesh. When you are a coach you need to understand the culture and history, but in the end it doesn't change."

"As a football player, you need to be 110% motivated in every game. We are focusing on this, a plan with the ball (or) without the ball, and it doesn't matter if it is a Bangladeshi team, an Indian team, an European team or anyone else. We need to be 110% motivated, and when you don't have this, the opponent will win. Even if you are at 90%, it will be the opponent that takes the game," he remarked.

Set pieces and general tactical improvements

Based on both the Blues' and the Kings' playing style in their previous games, the German tactician highlighted areas that his team has to improve on.

"I take the positives from the previous game, we had almost 70% ball possession and I think we need to improve in some aspects. We need to work better on our free-kicks and corners. We need to create better chances and finish them too," he opined.

"We don't want to give the opponent a chance to counter. The Bangladeshi team are better in transition, which was our good side. We want to create chances and score goals, and we have 90 minutes to try and do that," he added.

Differences in playing time between Bashundhara Kings and Bengaluru FC

Both Yrondu Musavu-King and Pezzaiuoli opened up on their desire to win despite the number of games played, of late, by both teams respectively.

"It doesn't change anything that they (BSK) were in competition and we aren't. We stay focused, we are ready for this game. We lost the first match, and we have two games to play and we want to win them. We will play to win," the defender explained.

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While the coach subsequently replied, "In football and in life, we cannot think negative. The opponents are fit and have been playing. But some competitions have rest, and some leagues are in competition. We know the advantage because we showed that we are physically good against ATK Mohun Bagan. We are physically good and are ready enough to play this game."

Updates on Sunil Chhetri

Marco Pezzaiuoli also threw some light on Sunil Chhetri's injury and performance from the previous game.

"I don't think Chhetri's broken hand is a big issue to his game. He is working hard and needs to get his luck back. He is a very important player, not only on the pitch but off the pitch as well. We have a young squad, and he makes a big difference," he felt.

"When you are number two in the world among active international goalscorers, it says everything. Experience is what we need now and we need his of experience, because we have a bit of a 'stress situation', and especially for a young team like ours that is important," he concluded.

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