Bengaluru FC succumbed to a 2 – 0 setback at the hands of bottom-placed Delhi Dynamos FC in Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on Sunday. The Blues had their chances in an eventful game but were undone by second-half strikes from Lallianzuala Chhangte and Guyon Fernandez, while also losing defender Subhasish Bose to a straight red in the dying stages.

Albert Roca, head coach of Bengaluru, addressed the media post-match and shared his views. The Spaniard refused to tag Delhi as pushovers, admitting that his team expected a tough encounter against the Lions. “We didn’t underestimate Delhi for sure,” Roca stated. “We were aware how difficult it could be to win today. But that’s football. They have fought. Some of our players were not too comfortable on the pitch. We have to be much better going forward.”

The capital city is experiencing a very chilly winter, but Roca did not blame the weather for having an effect on the players. “I cannot complain about the weather when my team is losing,” the 55-year-old said. “This is a circumstance that has not changed too much. We were not comfortable because the other team was doing well. I think Delhi’s performance has improved compared to the first part of the season. Today it was not possible to win.”

The schedule ahead is hectic for the Blues, given that they have to play in other competitions as well, regarding which Roca said, “It is another circumstance we cannot complain about either. It is like this and everybody is playing sometime after three days or four days or seven days. So, it depends. We are also playing in another competition; the AFC Cup. It is in the middle of the season. So, I have to make sure the players are ready for all the games and use all of my squad. I don’t want to have problems with injuries.”

Bengaluru’s head coach also explained why he did not use Udanta Singh but opted for Alwyn George instead while using his substitution. “Udanta had some problems since the last two games,” Roca revealed. “He was on the bench, but he was not comfortable. Even our doctor made an examination and he saw that Udanta was not mentally prepared. And Alwyn is also a player who plays on the right.”

Before concluding, Roca shared his thoughts regarding the red card shown to Subhasish Bose. “I thought it was a red card for their (Delhi’s) striker!” the Spaniard commented. “I could not see any action from my player. I saw on TV and asked Subhasish as to what happened, and he said he did not touch the player. It is a shame. Maybe the referee was far off from the action, and could not see well. But everything was wrong for us in that game.”