East Bengal FC head coach Carles Cuadrat urged the team, the club and the fans to control their emotions as the club suffered a third straight loss in the Indian Super League (ISL) match against FC Goa as they went down 2-3 at home. 

The Red and Gold brigade are without a point in their first three matches of the 2024-25 season after defeats to Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters FC in the earlier games. The Spaniard felt his team are in a bad moment and would need to work their way out of it. 

“It's difficult. We are in a moment where nothing is going our way. It happens in football. It's difficult, especially to lose at home. So far in the ISL, we have been fighting to at least get a point from our matches but that's not happening,” Cuadrat said during the post-match press conference. 

“We have to work and improve in training with the players. We have to recover the players and keep working. That's the only solution now,” he added.

Match Report: East Bengal FC 2-3 FC Goa

Cuadrat who guided East Bengal FC to Super Cup glory earlier this year felt the team has a lot of unrealised potential and will become a force to be reckoned with in the future. 

“We have a team for the future. We have been bringing young players who have long contracts. The young players have been helping us a lot. This squad is for the future and the club have to be optimistic,” he said.  

“We all feel frustrated with the situation. We understand perfectly that the fans are unhappy. But we know the supporters love the players and the colours of the club and will be supporting the club as always,” he added. 

Speaking of his substitutions that saw Cuadrat replace Naorem Mahesh Singh at the break with PV Vishnu and Nandha Kumar Sekar and Jeakson Singh by David Lalhlansanga and Sayan Banerjee respectively, the Spaniard suggested the changes made the team better. 

“We thought that the young players could help us in the moment of the game. We improved as a team in the second half. As a coach I have to make substitutions and I did that. There is no problem (with any player),” he said.

The Spaniard remains optimistic that the situation will change with one positive result and called for calm during this tough period. 

“We all love these colours. We will have emotions and these emotions must not make us lose control. It's just the start of the league. Last season Chennaiyin FC lost their first three matches but they made it to the playoffs. Once we get a good result, it's all gonna change,” he said. 

Former East Bengal FC player Borja Herrera netted a hattrick for the visitors, a player the Red and Gold brigade let go in January after the Super Cup triumph. Cuadrat though suggested that his exit from the club was beyond his control. 

“In football these things happen. Sometimes the player wants to leave and we have to accept it. It's very difficult when someone wants to leave and you have to understand that,” he added. 

East Bengal FC travel to Jamshedpur FC in their next match in the ISL on October 5 as they look to turn their fortunes around.  

Related tags:

East Bengal FCFC Goa2024-2025