Our idea is to win as many games and make our fans happy, says Bengaluru FC coach Gerard Zaragoza on ISL 2024-25 Media Day

The Spaniard reflected on the Blues’ last season and outlined tactical goals.

Following an underwhelming season in the Indian Super League (ISL), Bengaluru FC is all set to make their comeback. The former ISL winners won five games, drew seven, and lost 10, ending the previous season with 22 points, and finishing 10th in the points table.

In the midseason of ISL, after 10 games, the club decided to replace head coach Simon Grayson in December 2023 and appointed former assistant coach Gerard Zaragoza as their new head coach. Until that point, Bengaluru FC had managed to win only one game, lose five, and draw four.

After the Spaniard took responsibility, the club showed its resilience and fought for a playoff spot until the last two games. However, the loss against East Bengal FC ended their hopes for the playoffs, and they finished the season by losing 4-0 to Mohun Bagan Super Giant. Bengaluru FC will start their ISL 2024-25 season against East Bengal, on 14th September at Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

At the ISL Media Meet, held in Kochi on Thursday, head coach Gerard Zaragoza, along with Lalremtluanga Fanai, and Ryan Williams, shared their thoughts and opinions with the media ahead of the upcoming season.

Zaragoza Aims for Tactical Dominance

Talking about the previous season, Gerard Zaragoza expressed that when he arrived at the club in the middle of the season, there was only one playoff spot left. However, the Blues tried their level best until the end according to the coach who recalled, “I remember that I was in Dubai at that time. When we arrived, I think the team had seven points after 10 games. We saw five teams already qualify for the playoffs, and we were six teams fighting for one spot. I think we tried, and until the last two matches, we were in the running. Finally, the game against East Bengal took us out of the playoffs. That was something we were not proud of.”

Regarding tactics, Gerard Zaragoza stated that he loves to dominate the game in all aspects. He elaborated, “The most important thing for us is to dominate & I want to dominate the games. That means not only with the ball but also by controlling our goal. I think that during this pre-season, we worked a lot on this.”

The team had an average pre-season as they lost the Durand Cup semi-final in a penalty shootout after having a 2-0 lead against Mohun Bagan. Referring to the match against the Mariners in the Durand Cup semifinal, he said that Bengaluru FC dominated the semifinal but failed to control the last 30 minutes adding, “This is our idea. The idea is to dominate the games, to dominate the teams who come to Kanteerava (Sree Kanteerava Stadium), or even the teams we are going to visit, unlike last season.

“We have players like Alberto Noguera, who can dominate the ball, and he can help us along with Lalremtluanga Fanai, Suresh Singh, and others. Pedro (Pedro Capó) is also helping us a lot in this position as a defensive midfielder,” the tactician replied when asked about dominating possession.”

“Winning duels is the most important”

Gerard Zaragoza emphasized that winning duels is one of the most important things in football as he said, “In the last couple of games of the ISL last season, I made it clear that I want hungry players; players who can win duels. After that comes the technical and tactical aspects, but winning duels is important in both attack and defense. Our idea is to make our fans happy, win as many games as possible, and then let’s see where we can go.”

Pedro Capó is a ‘Computer,’ Edgar Méndez is Hungry: Zaragoza:

Bengaluru FC has signed Spanish defensive midfielder Pedro Capó on a one-year deal as a replacement for Keziah Veendorp, who parted ways with the club in July after mutual agreement. Talking about Pedro, Gerard Zaragoza said, “From the first moment I knew Pedro could join us, I said I wanted him with me. He’s like a computer, analyzing everything in every moment of the game or training sessions. For me, that’s perfect.”

“Edgar Méndez, we now have a player who has played more than 150 games in La Liga and over 100 in Mexico’s Liga. He’s hungry. I don’t know if he’s 33 or 34 years old, but he’s hungry and wants more. He told me from the first day, ‘Coach, I’m not coming here for just one season. I want to play for more seasons,'” Zaragoza said this about their other new foreign signing Edgar Méndez.

The Team is Ready after a perfect Pre-Season

On the topic of pre-season, Gerard Zaragoza said the club had a perfect pre-season. “We wanted to win the Durand Cup. The reality was that from the first match, I said we wanted to prepare for the ISL, and we did exactly what I wanted.”

He further added, “The whole pre-season, in terms of tactics, fitness preparation, and games, was very important for us, especially playing against teams like Kerala Blasters or Mohun Bagan in pre-season. The reality is that the team is ready.”

Zaragoza’s Advice to Sunil: ‘Life is Important, but Life Comes First’

In response to a question about Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri, who has become more relaxed after retiring from the Indian national football team, Gerard Zaragoza shared a past conversation between them. He reminisced, “In March, after one training session, we stayed on the pitch talking for over an hour. I saw him stressed; about India, the game, his future, and what he would do for the BFC. We talked a lot.

I always try to remind them that football is important, but life comes first. He needs to be calm, and relaxed, and enjoy his time because I don’t know if he will play one more season or two, but he certainly won’t play five more seasons.

But I want him to enjoy it. If he plays 90 minutes, enjoy those 90 minutes, but if he plays only two minutes, go and enjoy those two minutes. And that’s something he’s trying to do. As you said, he’s more relaxed now, but still always pushing me because he wants to play. He has a lot of character and wants to win everything—from the first training exercise to the most important match. For the team, it’s amazing to have a player like him.”

On players giving more during the Southern Derby

Talking about the derby between Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC, coach Gerard Zaragoza said that the team gives everything in every game, but when they play against Kerala, the players give a little bit more, as it’s a derby match. He added, “I hope this rivalry continues and I hope that we enjoy all of this.”

Gerard Zaragoza also appealed to the fans to come to the stadium and support the club. “For our fans, the only thing I want to say is that, as always, they should keep supporting us. They should continue coming to the stadium, being with us, because our idea is to bring joy to them. We want them to enjoy, to see us win, but also to witness good football. This is something that’s always in our minds- we work for them, not for ourselves.”

Ryan Williams highlights the decision-making gap in Indian football

Australian midfielder Ryan Williams reacted to a question about the skill level of Indian players and answered, “In the UK and Australia, there are a lot of academies, and as you come up, you’re taught what to do on the ball, but it’s more about what to do off the ball and how to think with your head, and things like that. So, for me, I think the main difference between there and here would probably be decision-making. And that’s the main thing for me.”

Lalremtluanga Fanai, talking about his expectations for the upcoming season and moving from the club’s under-18 team to the senior team, said, “Coming through the U-18s, through reserves, and into the senior team, there’s a lot of difference. First, in terms of physicality, and like Ryan said, decision-making – we need to think faster. For this season and future seasons, I’m focusing on the ISL and playing for the national team. That is my focus.”

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