Qualification depends on results of NEUFC & Chennaiyin, concedes East Bengal boss Carles Cuadrat

Carles Cuadrat also praised the efforts of the players and showed love to the fans.

East Bengal leapt over Bengaluru FC into sixth place in the Indian Super League (ISL) table with a decisive 2-1 win at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata. Goals from Saul Crespo and Cleiton Silva helped the Red & Gold Brigade oust the Blues, with Sunil Chhetri’s second half penalty not being enough for his side.

Delighted with East Bengal’s effort

Carles Cuadrat admitted that it was tough to get this win, but hailed the spirit his boys showed in the game. After the match, he explained, “Very difficult (to get the win). We only played three days ago in a humid situation in Kerala. Bengaluru had a week’s rest to prepare for this and we only had two trainings, travelling with multiple flights. I appreciate the effort of the guys, they put their everything in the game. Not a lot of good football, Bengaluru might’ve played better football, but we had to be smart at this moment and take advantage of our pace in counter-attacks and consistency in defence.

“It worked as we got the three points in the end and they didn’t create a lot of clear-cut chances. I’m happy, also for the supporters as they got to see this victory in the last home game. I’m happy that after struggling in the ISL season, the fans can be proud of the effort of the guys and the things we’ve got.

“We’re reaching finals and going to play the last game of the regular season with a clear objective to get into the playoffs, which is something the fans deserve as they have been helping us a lot this season. This is a reward for the supporters and I’m proud to be part of it,” he added.

Praise for substitutes

The Spaniard hailed the impact of substitutes Aman CK and Sayan Banerjee in helping East Bengal get the win, remarking, “The younger players we know they need to get experience. They are playing against Chhetri, who has been in top Indian football for the last 20 years. These guys have been playing the Calcutta Football League and have been playing in front of 20,000-50,000 supporters.

“We have to make difficult decisions, they are still developing their physicality. But, what they have is a big heart and want to become professionals. They brought energy and pace to our game. I’m very happy as they are making an impact every time they play for us and they are players we intend to use in the future,” he also stated.

Helping East Bengal achieve an interesting ISL feat

Cuadrat was also delighted to be the coach to help East Bengal win back-to-back ISL matches for the first time and claimed, “Can you imagine that we have never won back-to-back matches in four seasons? I’m happy about this. My target is to give positivity to the entire environment. When I was offered the job, I was thinking of taking it or not. But, I saw the management are ready to make a change, be it the club staff and Emami.

“We are working in the same direction all together. We are working towards the next season. This is the advantage of having two years contract, that you can make something for the future. I’m happy that we’ll play in four competitions next season and represent India in the national competition. We’ll try to be better next season.”

Eyes be on top-six rivals’ matches?

When asked if he’ll have his eyes on the matches of Chennaiyin FC and NorthEast United, who are also pushing for that sixth spot, Cuadrat explained, “It’s not in our hands. What we can do is defeat Punjab. But, it all depends on the results of NorthEast and Chennaiyin.

“They’re having a good season and have an optimistic situation to reach the playoffs. We can only take care of ourselves and win the three points. We’re asking the ISL organizers to change the date of the game because it’s kind of like a final and would be better at the same moment as Chennaiyin’s last game. Or maybe NorthEast’s last game, it’ll be the one who will need to win the game to reach the playoffs.  

“Then it’ll depend on the result, this can be better for the league. I know it’s not easy to make a calendar for Indian football, but that game is a big opportunity to put people in the stadium. Sadly, it’ll be closed doors, but it was also sad for us to play the Odisha game at Bhubaneswar in October.

“We have to improve certain scheduling things in Indian football, as we are missing opportunities to make football more exciting in some moments. I hope it’ll be open doors and have more fans supporting us,” he also claimed.

Praise for Bengaluru FC’s attitude

Finally, Cuadrat voiced his admiration for the sportsmanship shown by Bengaluru FC when questioned about a bit of a scuffle between Aman CK and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in the game. He stated, “I love Gurpreet, he’s a great guy. He has a sweet head and is not a person who causes problems. That was just a moment of football. But, it’s very nice the way the players and staff of Bengaluru have been talking with us and treating us.

“It’s only a game of football because they were in the race, but they also understood the role of each one and congratulated us for the win, as we would’ve if they won three points. It’s very good for football,” he finished.

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