SC East Bengal head coach Mario Rivera reflected on his side’s improvement along the way as they are drawing curtains to an underwhelming Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 season. The Red and Gold brigade are set to lock horns with Bengaluru FC in their last game of their campaign in Match 107 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco, Goa, on Saturday evening.

SC East Bengal are at the bottom of the league table, with 11 points from 19 matches, having won once, drawn eight and lost 10 matches. Rivera spoke about the team's overall performance in this campaign, and apologized to the fans for not delivering the desired performances, but kept his head held high with respect to the club's legacy.

The Red and Gold Brigade head coach addressed the media during the pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s game.

Here are the excerpts from the press conference:

What is your assessment of the team’s performance in your tenure?

If we check the results in my tenure, it’s not good, but if one looks at the matches, the improvement is there for all to see. The coaches and players said that we were very competitive. We changed many things, we grew more confident with the ball, the ability to string passes together increased, and we created many chances.

It was difficult but it was also amazing. In the last month, we played good offensive football. I am proud of all the players, their performance and their practice, as they were trying to play better everyday.

The last game won’t change anything in the complexion of the points table. How are you going to motivate the players to win?

I don’t think so, the players do not need (added) motivation for every game. The players are professionals, they always want to win every match so it’s easy to motivate them.

Are you planning to field SC East Bengal’s new signing Ananta Tamang in the upcoming game?

Ananta Tamang will be on the team list, it remains to be seen whether he will get game time. It is never easy for anyone to play after being in quarantine for so long but he is a good player with a positive attitude and maybe he will get a few minutes.

Any message to the fans at the end of the season?

We are sorry we could not provide the desired results, but all the fans can be proud of our team because we played with the right spirit in every match, we fought till the end in every match. We respect the legacy of this club from the start to the end.