Performance haven't been good enough, concedes Manolo Diaz

The Red and Gold are the only side yet to win a match in ISL 2021-22.

Manolo Diaz's SC East Bengal registered their third draw of the season, after being held to a 1-1 draw by Kerala Blasters on Sunday. Centre-back Tomislav Mrcela had given SC East Bengal the lead with an accurate header from a Raju Gaikwad throw-in, before Alvaro Vasquez's shot deflected off Mrcela to hand Kerala Blasters their equalizer. Throughout the match, Ivan Vukomanovic’s men had most of the ball, while Diaz’s Red and Gold tried to hit their opponent on the counter-attack.

Following the draw, which extended SC East Bengal's winless run to 10 matches, six of which came this season, coach Manolo Diaz shared his thoughts on the game. Here are the excerpts from the post-match press conference:

On starting Sankar Roy

Shankar Roy, started in goal for the first time this season. Diaz suggested he was not impressed by Suvam Sen's performances. Sen stood between the sticks in the previous three games, of which two ended in heavy defeats. “We are playing our third goalkeeper because the level is what it is. Arindam is injured,” said Diaz.

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Why couldn’t SC East Bengal keep the lead?

Defender Tomislav Mrcela contributed to both the team’s goals tonight. After giving SC East Bengal the lead, an unkind deflection from his head awarded the equalizer to Kerala Blasters.

“The opponent created a lot of chances. Today we were unlucky as Kerala’s goal was an own goal,” Diaz explained.

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Still searching for that elusive win

SC East Bengal have played three draws and as many defeats in six games this season. They are still to win a single match. “We will keep working and improving our level. Our performances aren’t good enough to win all three points,” the SC East Bengal boss conceded.

On losing the ball in midfield

The midfield in the SCEB camp has always been a problem since the start of the season. “The whole team needs to improve, including the coaching staff, Diaz said. He also revealed that fatigue was the main reason behind the chopping and changing in the matchday squad.

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