Post Wednesday’s Win, Here’s What The Boss Spoke About While Addressing The Media

On how happy he is with the win on the night…

The first thing I would like to say is, that I’m happy to see Gallego playing again. He was injured in the game against us last season. We were very sorry for him at that moment. We visited him in the hospital, and I was in constant touch with him over texts about his health. I’m glad he could make his comeback against us. That said, he is a very dangerous player and we handed Khabra the job of marking him throughout, which he did successfully. About the game, we came away with yet another clean sheet and a result. The best thing you can do after you lose a game is play another one really quickly, because the mood in the locker room changes. So, we are very happy with three points.

On the added pressure of finishing first given there’s a Champions League berth at stake…

If we can choose, we’d like to play in the Champions League next season. The club has the professional structure and the players needed to play in that competition. We’d like to go for it. But you’re seeing, this season of the ISL is a tough one. Anything can happen. It will be a very tough fight to even make the playoffs.

On whether the absence of NorthEast striker Asamoah Gyan made things easier for Bengaluru…

The absence of Gyan did make a difference. He’s a wonderful player with a killer instinct. He’s shown many times how he can create a goal from nothing. But we missed Raphael too. It happens to every team. NorthEast were smart with the way they lined up. It was an equal game at 0-0, but once you score the goal, you can manage the situation. But I have to say that they are a team with a good work ethic. It was a tough win for us.