Happy with a point but need to improve, says Manuel Diaz

SC East Bengal and Jamshedpur FC shared the spoils after scoring a goal each.

At the end of 90 minutes, SC East Bengal and Jamshedpur FC were on equal footing as the match concluded in a 1-1 draw. Both teams showed promise, especially their foreign contingents. A point each is what they get from their first game of the season, but both the teams would want to build on their positives henceforth. Manuel Diaz's side scored the first with defender Franjo Prce converting Antonio Perosevic’s pass.

While it took a slight deflection on its way in, the centre-back's acrobatic strike put the Red and Gold in front. Right at the stroke of half-time, Jamshedpur skipper Peter Hartley headed in the equaliser.

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The second-half saw a flurry of chances from both sides, but neither could finish them off and find the back of the net. The game was run by the overseas players, to say the least. Special mention should be made of East Bengal’s Perosevic and Jamshedpur’s Alex Lima. Both the players showed their class.

On fitness of players

Towards the end of the match, a lot of East Bengal players were suffering from cramps. This raised concerns regarding the fitness of the team despite having an extensive pre-season. When asked about this, Manuel Diaz responded, “We have been in quarantine for a lot of time and we need some more practices.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dQuQOTE7ck

Leaving out Darren Sidoel

While Jamshedpur FC gave a run to all of their foreign players in this game, East Bengal had an unused substitute in Darren Sidoel. However, the coach acknowledged that the Dutch player is really good. “Darren Sidoel is a very good player and I know that. It is what it is because of the Indian Super League rules and today he couldn’t play,” said Diaz. We’ll have to wait and see which combination of overseas players the Spaniard fields in the next match.

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Addressing lack of creativity in midfield

The lack of creativity is a problem that has stood out prior to the start of the season and now the team might be facing the consequences of it. Apart from Amir Dervisevic, the team does not have another such creatively astute player. “First half we played good mainly without the ball. With the ball, we had some problems. With Amir in the second half, we became better with the ball.”

A look ahead of the derby

In the second match of the campaign, East Bengal will be facing off arch-rivals ATK Mohun Bagan. While the latter ran the show against Kerala Blasters in the opening game of the season, the former showed glimpses of promise today with room for improvement. “ATK Mohun Bagan is a good team with a good structure, while East Bengal is still growing. We need our players to improve their levels,” said Manuel Diaz when asked about their next opponents.

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