Bengaluru FC will be hoping to bounce back from their loss to Mumbai City FC when they travel to face NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday. The 3-2 defeat at home to the Islanders on Sunday ended the Blues’ unbeaten start to Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 and as a result puts them third on the table, within touching distance of the side’s below them.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Bengaluru head coach, Carles Cuadrat lauded his side’s incredible home record that saw them unbeaten in 19 games at Bengaluru before the Mumbai game, he said, “I was not happy of course (with the loss to Mumbai), but it also shows the consistency of the team that is holding that kind of record.”

“We are a team that has never lost by more than one goal difference since I’m the coach. So, it means that we are a very competitive team that arrive in the last moment of the game to get one point or three points. Against Mumbai also, it was that kind of game that was from the start, not going for us. But we managed to come back two times. After Sunil (Chhetri) scored the penalty, he ran very fast and all the players also ran fast to try and get another goal. So, this is the spirit of the team,” added Cuadrat.

The Spaniard then insisted that his team aren’t a side to dwell on past results. “We have a lot of positivity. We are still in the playoff group. Another positivity is that we are the team with the least goals conceded. We are still the team with most clean sheets. We are trying to be positive. We are not wasting time crying. We are working to try and fix the mistakes that we have been making until now.”

Cuadrat continued, “We are working for the playoffs. There is one special position that is the first one which gives you the chance to play in the AFC Champions League. We would like to be in that playoffs. There are more teams trying to do that. This season is being a very nice fight with a lot of teams giving very good competition. The position will be at the end, in February.”

The 51-year-old, however, admitted that his team needed time to reach its full potential given their age. “We have talent, but talent needs to learn. Sometimes they can learn in the game, but you cannot put them under pressure. You have to take care of them. I have been taking care of Edmund (Lalrindika) the best I could. He is a good talent. Unfortunately, when he was on the pitch last season, he didn’t get any goal or assist. It’s a phase, he’s doing his best, but he needs to improve.”

“Maybe we cannot build a team now expecting to win a game 5-4. Maybe our games have to be 1-0. It has been working for us until now. Last season we won a lot of games 1-0 without Miku. He was injured. This season has also been similar. Except the 3-0 Chennaiyin win, the rest of our games have been difficult for us to score goals,” he added.

Edmund, who attended the media briefing alongside Cuadrat, promised full commitment and was keen on improving all the time. “Playing in the senior team is a great learning experience for me. They are all big names in (the team from) India as well as abroad. I keep learning from them, on and off the pitch. I keep myself motivated and will try to improve as much as possible. Soon, I’ll score goals,” he said.

Read the Match Preview here.