We are trying to find our identity, says Stephen Constantine

East Bengal suffered a heartbreaking loss by conceding in the 94th minute.

After an enthralling game of football, East Bengal's spirited second-half comeback was undone by a late free-kick goal from FC Goa's Edu Bedia in the Indian Super League ISL 2022-23 game. The match ended 2-1 in favour of FC Goa. It was a game of two halves in which FC Goa dominated the first and East Bengal the second. The following are excerpts of what East Bengal head coach Stephen Constantine had to say in the post-match press conference.

On the takeaways from East Bengal's second-half performance

Stephen Constantine was in no mood to talk about the upcoming Kolkata derby. He believes there are other ISL 2022-23 games to be played and his focus is on them.

The former coach of the Indian national team sounded very happy about the team's second-half performance. He heaped praise on the team for such a performance. He said, 'In the first half, FC Goa was the better side. They scored the goal. We looked very nervous again. But in the second half, we completely dominated the game. I am not sure how the goalkeeper was still on the pitch. It's a red card anywhere else. That card might have been a big advantage for us in the game.

He continued, "Over the course of the season, you will have to think that decisions even out, but in both our games we did not get anywhere close to the decisions that we should have got. Again I think we dominated the second half and got a few chances. Obviously to concede that goal the way we did is obviously very disappointing. But, the plus side is, we can see little glimpses of what we are going to look like going forward. We were exceptional in the second half. This is the kind of performance that we are looking for throughout the 90 minutes. Today, we got it for 45 (minutes), which was not enough.'

On the manner in which East Bengal conceded the second goal

When a press person asked whether it was due to bad lunch that the team conceded the second goal, Stephen Constantine refuted saying that football is not about luck. Moreover, he also spoke about how he will address the team going forward.

He said, 'Look, I think you make your own luck. You can't say that you lose 3-1 due to bad luck. But, I think, we are trying to find our identity. As I have said before, we are a new team with new players. We had four actual weeks of training before the season started. When I arrived, we had 12 players. A lot has happened and I don't want to make excuses. It's not the start that we wanted. Obviously, I would like to see six points. We are trying to find our identity. We will work and continue to work hard. Looking at the second half gives us a lot of hope for the season.'

On the absence of Eliandro

The East Bengal head coach informed the media that Eliandro is injured, which is why he missed today's match. He said, 'Elinadro got a knock during training last week. He was not able to be fully fit. So, obviously, we missed him. Again, this is football. You will have suspension, you'll have cards and injuries.'

On the factors that led East Bengal to concede two goals

In reply to a question enquiring about his opinion on the factors that led to the goals, the coach elaborated on his thought. He quoted, 'Would not put it down to lack of concentration. I just think the first goal was quite a good move from their side. The second goal was — nine out of 10 times that the ball is cleared or bounced over the bar. But it bounced into the top corner. We should have dealt with it a little better.'

On why Passi played as a right-back

Stephen Constantine explained in detail why Passi played as a right-back in the game. He quoted, 'If you see where Sumeet Passi played for the last three years, he played as a right-back. He has not played centre-forward for about three years. We played him as a centre-forward in the earlier games because we did not have a centre-forward. We played him in right midfield because we did not have a right-side player of his height. Don't forget he adds height to the team. Today, he played in his position right back. We needed to change at halftime and that's what we did.'

On his side's quality difference between the two halves

When a reporter asked why was there such a big difference in the quality of East Bengal's play, the English tactician reiterated that they are finding an identity for the team. He said, 'As I said, we are trying to find the right formula for this team. These two games for us were very difficult games. The first half today was — we were not there. In the second half, we dominated. How the keeper was still on the pitch I don't know. We will continue to work this way and hopefully, the performances going forward will be more like they were in the second half. All we can do is keep working and keep trying to improve.'

On whether this match's learning will add up to the club's overall project

When a journalist asked the head coach of the Red and Gold Brigade whether the game's takeaways will add up to the club's larger project, Stephen Constantine seemed quite impressed with the question. He explained how it will add up.

He explained, 'We learn from every game in different ways. Today, we saw some players who did not feature in the first game. They came and they played. There is now gonna be stiff competition for positions and places. This is what you want. You don't wanna lose in the 94th minute. Everything we do is a part of the process. We will sit down, we will look at what we did right and what we did wrong, and try to improve on things. What I can say to the fans is that the boys gave everything they possibly could. The second half is the East Bengal that we are going to be. We are looking to play in this manner. I don't care what anybody says but you cannot do this in two-three games. You can expect those kinds of performances from us going forward in the second half. Unfortunately, it was not enough today.'