Carles Cuadrat couldn't have asked for a better start to Bengaluru FC's Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19 campaign after his side narrowly beat defending champions Chennaiyin FC 1-0 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium last Sunday. Following on from that fantastic team display, Bengaluru now host an impressive Jamshedpur FC unit, who themselves dismantled Mumbai City FC in their own backyard.

Ahead of the game, indiansuperleague.com caught up for an exclusive interview with the Blues  and the Indian national team’s No. 1, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, to find out his views on the new season and more. Here are the excerpts:

Thoughts on the match against Chennaiyin.

It felt great. Especially, to play at home in front of our crowd and winning against Chennaiyin FC and getting a clean sheet was icing on the cake. To be honest, it is a good start for us, something that we always wanted to aim for. It’s something that we need to start off with, keeping the momentum and by making sure that we build from this and try to improve in the coming games.

Thoughts on Bengaluru’s new signings.

They’re great. They’re experienced defenders and Rino Anto is a familiar name. He has been with the club. He is a club legend and Albert Serran is a very experienced defender, as you could see, and playing with him is easier for me. He makes it easier because he knows things already and communication with him is easier. I am just enjoying every bit of football that I play with them.

How important is the communication between goalkeepers and defenders?

It’s very very crucial. The communication is everything and if a goalkeeper and a defender communicate well and they understand each other well, it always helps the team. They always say a great goalkeeper is someone who could help the defenders and avoid situations before they could even happen. A good goalkeeper, in my opinion, is someone who doesn’t need to make the save because he has communicated well with his defenders and that’s what I try to do with these guys and they listen. Hopefully, we can continue with this in the coming season.

You had seven clean sheets last season. Do you think you can do even better this time?

Sure, I hope I do better. More the clean sheets, the better for us and that’s what I will try to aim for. I was lucky enough to keep seven last season, but I hope, I go further than seven this season and help my team as much as possible.

Message for the fans.

I think anything I say for them is less. They’re the ones who we play for and the kind of support they have shown is incredible. They have started a trend in Indian football and I think, everyone has started to follow them. You know, there were no banners and chants before. Bengaluru FC fans and West Block Blues brought this culture and they are very important to Indian Football, in my opinion. I just want them to keep supporting us in every single game that we play.