Marco Pezzaiuoli reveals transfer plans ahead of next season

The head coach praised his players for their commitment throughout the season.

Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Bengaluru FC ended their 2021-22 campaign with good feelings following a win over arch rivals SC East Bengal. The Blues got their eighth win of the season, courtesy a Sunil Chhetri strike in the first half at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco. It was a tale of unconverted chances for SC East Bengal. Marco Pezzaiuoli's men too, could have scored a few more goals, but their opponents kept a tight check on them. With this defeat, SC East Bengal have become the first side to record just one win throughout the course of an ISL season.

After his side’s final game of the season, Marco Pezzaiuoli addressed the media and shared his thoughts on the season.

Reflections on season

The Blues gathered seven more points in comparison to last season and have shown improvement in almost every aspect of their game. Marco Pezzaiuoli spoke about his thoughts on the campaign.

“It is a small step, but as a coach you want to reach the highest possibilities, that is to win the league and reach the top four which we didn’t reach. We gathered seven more points than last season, but the big issue is the first six games where we failed to be in the top four.

“You can average 25 points in 14 games and if you add 4-5 points, we would’ve been at the top. We developed good musings in the team, won today and will be out of the bubble now which is also positive. We’re looking forward to the next season,” he explained.

Thoughts on game

It was a cagey 0-1 win for the Blues at the Tilak Maidan Stadium. Marco Pezzaiuoli praised his side for their fighting spirit throughout the season.

“We are at the end of season and we didn’t reach the playoffs, but players showed very good mentality. We had to make early changes due to injuries and made it difficult for us to bring in young players,” he asserted.

Process

The German head coach has been vocal about his football process at Bengaluru FC. He shared his thoughts on how well he implemented the same this season. He said, “We had good games in the beginning, but individual mistakes cost us. Our playing style, pressing, creating and scoring goals are the areas where we are strong.

“We have got Roshan (Singh) who has got a national team call-up. Bhutia (Namgyal) did well and also the new foreigners did well. We have Cleiton (Silva) a good scorer, but we missed a second scorer this year and that was a big issue,” he opined.

Realistic target for future

Marco Pezzaiuoli also shared his realistic targets for the upcoming seasons and said, “We want to reach a step higher than this year and want to be in the top four and win the league. There were better teams this season and the level has increased.

“You need to invest and when you see the teams in the top four how much they invest. Mumbai (City FC) bought two players with high salaries in the middle of the season. It’s not so easy to be there and we want to be there next season,” he said.

Transfer Plans

The head coach also revealed a few transfer plans ahead of next season. He stressed upon the importance of extending the contracts of his key players.

“Firstly, we want to keep our players and extend their contracts. We did one and two transfers and next season some Indian guys will come and then we will analyze in detail what we can do more. One foreign player’s contract is finished and others' contracts will be over next season,” he revealed.

Message to the fans

Marco Pezzaiuoli signed off with a message for the Bengaluru FC supporters. He said, “I want to wish our supporters a good time and I hope to see you next season in the stadium.”

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