The Boss Discussed The Result, Tactics And Support From The Stands…
Bengaluru went down for the first time at the Fortress this season after a tough 1-2 defeat to neighbours Chennaiyin FC last night. While the game was a thrilling one, two defensive errors cost BFC three points on a night which saw a record attendance of 21,924 at home for the season. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Coach Albert Roca discussed various issues from the game.
On Chennaiyin FC’s late winner…
Yes, we made a mistake at the start of the game and one more at the end. We had two very good opportunities, the one which hit the post from Edu in the first half and the first minute chance in the second half for Sunil. These were very good chances to come back into the game, and put Chennaiyin FC into some trouble. We have not produced what we wanted and it’s a shame because I think we deserved to score that goal. But without Johnson at the back, we had to be more careful in set pieces. It’s tough because the team did everything to equalize and come back into the game, but that’s football and we must learn from this.
On rotating the squad…
We played an important game against Pune just three days ago. I have to manage my squad and try to go with players who are in better shape. Sometimes I can make things right, and sometimes you can say it’s not so good as well. But we have to keep fighting as we have another game in four days. I would like it if we can win games with these rotations, because it makes our team stronger. We have to keep working and see what’s better for the next game as well.
On the heated exchanges at the full-time whistle…
Sometimes I think, we have to relax a bit. But as you said, it’s a derby and everybody wants to win. It was a difficult situation but for us as well, we should have the same attitude when we win or lose. It’s not nice that when you’re losing at home, someone comes and laughs in your face. It’s for him to understand as well that it’s a game and the players need to have a professional attitude.
On the opponent’s physical approach to the game…
They have very strong and tough players. But they were fortunate with the first goal and after that it was just defending, and they had good ability in it which made things a bit difficult for us. We couldn’t expect to concede the goal so early, but we kept fighting hard to equalize, and when we finally equalized, we weren’t alert on set pieces as their aerial strength got them the goal. We have to learn from this situation and look forward to the next game.
On the massive support at the Fortress…
A big thanks to our supporters, who kept cheering for us till the very last minute, and it gave strength to our players. It’s nice that these fans are there for us, even in our bad moments. We could not give them a good result, but the next game we will give our best to win for them.
