Have to be stronger defensively, says Khalid Jamil after Bengaluru loss

The 44-year-old revealed that Gallego and Flottmann were unavailable due to injuries and illnesses.

NorthEast United scored twice in their Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 campaign opener, but it was not enough to stop their opponents Bengaluru FC. The Blues put four past the Highlanders to secure a memorable win at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Saturday. NEUFC head coach Khalid Jamil's decision to field an all-Indian defence did not work well, and he addressed that and more in the post-match press conference.

Jamil's replies were short and concise. Here's what he said after the loss against BFC.

The game-plan against Bengaluru FC

Most of NorthEast United's best attacks against the Blues came through their left side and were spearheaded by the likes of VP Suhair, Rochharzela and Mathias Coureur. When asked if this was planned before kick-off, Khalid Jamil answered that was not the case.

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"No, it's not like that. We planned just to think about our own game because we knew that we were going to play against a tough team. Bengaluru FC were strong physically. We tried our best, but it was not our day today," he said.

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What went wrong against the Blues

The Highlanders' boss revealed that they are yet to fully assess all that went wrong during the 2-4 loss. "We'll sit together as a group tomorrow and see (what they have to improve). We have to be stronger defensively, and should be sharper and more clinical in attack. Some small changes will have to be made to our gameplay," he explained.

Absence of key players

As mentioned earlier, NorthEast United started with an all-Indian defence - a bold move from Jamil that ultimately did not pay off. Key stars like Federico Gallego and Patrick Flottmann were also absent from the matchday squad.

"Gallego was injured. Flottmann and 4-5 others had an upset stomach, so we had to change our lineup in the last minute," the 44-year-old tactician revealed.

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The next opponents - Kerala Blasters

Up next, NEUFC face Kerala Blasters on November 25. As usual, Khalid Jamil had little to comment on their opponents as he called for more focus on themselves.

"We have to think about our own game first, and assess Kerala Blasters only afterwards. It's going to be an important game," Jamil signed off.

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