I’m proud of the team that fought till the end, says East Bengal coach Carles Cuadrat

Carles Cuadrat also mentioned about lack of fit players in his squad.

East Bengal failed to qualify for the AFC Champions League 2 group stages after they suffered a 3-2 loss to Altyn Asyr on Wednesday (14 August).

Despite taking an early lead through David Lalhlansanga, the Turkmenistan side scored three goals after that and a wonder-goal from Saul Crespo before the hour mark couldn’t save the Kolkata giants from suffering a loss.

Here’s what East Bengal head coach Carles Cuadrat said to the media after the loss.

Proud of East Bengal’s efforts

Despite the defeat, Carles Cuadrat was super proud of his side’s efforts and explained after the game, “I’m proud of my players and also feel the supporters are also proud. They have been waiting for us to say thank you to them and they have been supporting us. We’ve seen a top game against a team with good quality players. They were more physical than us, we tried adjusting to the match plan and it was working well.

“The two clear chances of the game were our chances, it could’ve been 2-0 in the first 10 minutes without transitions. They have the qualities to score, especially the free-kick in the second goal to put us in trouble. it was a game where we finished fighting for the win, we hit the post, we scored a goal that was ruled out. We fought for the win and I’m proud of the team,” Carles Cuadrat added.

Lack of match fitness among players hurt East Bengal?

Carles Cuadrat pointed at the lack of match fitness among key players and unavailability for the loss, stating, “I’m positive. I think we are a team under construction. We cannot use a lot of players we’ve already signed. They weren’t available due to different reasons. We had to finish the game with youngsters like Vishnu (PV) and Aman (CK) due to circumstances.

“Dimitrios Diamantakos and Cleiton Silva were not ready to play more than 45 minutes, so considering that we fought until the end and put them under pressure. We have a team that can give a lot of happiness to the fans. Unfortunately, we won’t play in ACL 2, but will play in the AFC Challenge League and that is a good opportunity for us to show we can fight in Asia. My thoughts is that this was a good night of communication of between fans and players.”

Defensive Issues

When asked if he is worried about his side conceding three goals days before the Durand Cup clash against Mohun Bagan, Carles Cuadrat replied, “With Hector Yuste and Anwar Ali’s addition, I’m happy with the defence. The club is working hard to build the team, but the circumstances are the way they are. In the three official matches so far, the defenders have been working hard.

“Mark Zothanpuia is a new player, very young and has played for the U-23 team, but he does not have a lot of experience so it’s a lot of pressure. He normally practiced in a block of four defenders, but today he did that in a block of three defenders. It’s a good experience for him. Hopefully, we can get players to help us in the next weeks. I feel we are getting ready for the high things this season.”

Praise for David Lalhthansanga

Carles Cuadrat had a lot of praise for David (Lalhlansanga) for his good game and also some other Indian players, saying, “That’s why we signed him. He was having a good season with Mohammedan last season. This was his first experience in AFC Champions League 2. He adapted well to the match plan and we knew the opponents were powerful.

“We had to fight duels to win the second ball and I saw the fight on the pitch. David is learning a lot, Mark (Zothanpuia) is working a lot. The new players are getting the idea of what we need from them and I’m happy with the work until now from them.”

AFC Challenge League plans

East Bengal are set to play in the AFC Challenge League after this loss. When questioned on whether he sees his side strongly competing in the competition, Carles Cuadrat reflected, “I said before the game that this is our first Asian test after nine years, so we have to see what we can do. We had the option to win today, but Altyn Asyr is a good team with good players. But now, with the whole experience, maybe the Challenge League is a competition where we can show our level and grow as a team.

“We are promoting a lot of young players and it’s good for them to compete. Maybe, we can get the group stages here in Kolkata and with the help of fans, we can go for the three games in a space of nine days.

“Maybe, if we don’t have injuries, the players will be physically more ready in 2-3 months. It’ll be difficult for us, it’ll be a competition where four teams play and only one gets out of the group stages,” Carles Cuadrat finished off.

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