For me the best team in terms of players is Mohun Bagan, says Gerard Zaragoza ahead of Durand Cup semi-final clash

Gerard Zaragoza also mentioned the importance of new signings in their teams.

Bengaluru FC picked up a thrilling 1-0 win over rivals Kerala Blasters in the quarter-final of the 2024 Durand Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on Friday (August 23). A very late winner from striker Jorge Pereyra Diaz helped the Blues get the better of their bitter rivals and take a step closer to their ambitions of lifting the championship.

The Blues’ head coach Gerard Zaragoza, attended the press conference afterward, answering the queries of the media.

Thoughts on the late winner

Zaragoza believes that his Bengaluru FC side deserved the late win for the way they performed, as he stated after the game, “I think that this was a Southern derby. Bengaluru-Kerala is always tough to play. We were much, much better with the ball or without the ball.

“In transitions, my players were good and normally we could’ve finished before. But this happens, you wait till the penalties and then you get one goal in the last minute. We sign these kind of players (Diaz) to score late goals like this.”’

Mohun Bagan’s threat in semi-final

Bengaluru FC are set to face Mohun Bagan Super Giant at the Salt Lake Stadium in the Durand Cup semi-final. When asked about this formidable battle, Gerard Zaragoza stated, “For me, the best team in terms of players is Mohun Bagan. We have many good Indian players, but they have a team with 20-22 players. If you look at their bench today, you can see they’re a strong team. I hope it’ll be a nice game against them.”

The Spaniard was questioned if he feels his side will be underdogs for the clash against the Kolkata heavyweights and answered, “We will try. But we need to think that we’re preparing for the ISL (Indian Super League). We wanted to win against Kerala today, we also want to defeat Mohun Bagan get to the final, and win the trophy. But the most important thing is to prepare the team for the league. Our assistant coach is very good!”

Praise for new signings

Gerard Zaragoza praised his new signings for contributing towards this win, stating, “All of them, Noguera, Diaz were amazing with Mumbai(City FC) and Bheke too! The people we signed from outside, Edgard, Pedro were amazing and it’s giving us even better quality with our team. I’m happy with the squad we have.”

Preparing Bengaluru FC squad for new ISL season

When asked how tough it’ll be for him to prepare the Bengaluru FC squad for the 2024-25 ISL with many players being away on India squad duty for the 2024 Intercontinental Cup, Gerard Zaragoza said, “I want to have twenty players in the national team. As many players we have in the national team make things better for our team.

“We always want to help the national team. I think players like Roshan Singh, the last season when I came here he wasn’t in the national team and he deserves to be there. He had an amazing game today, Chinglensana Singh too. The more quality players we have is better for the Indian team and also for Bengaluru FC,” he added.

Importance of Sunil Chhetri

Finally, the Bengaluru FC coach spoke about the importance of having a veteran forward like Sunil Chhetri in his squad. “When Chhetri enters, all the fans start clapping their hands. That means all the teams are scared of him. To have one player like him who can play in the starting XI, but now we have other players and then he enters in the second half. For me, as a coach, that is amazing,” Gerard Zaragoza concluded.

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