Bengaluru FC head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli dismissed concerns around captain Sunil Chhetri’s form as his side went down 1-2 to FC Goa in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Athletic stadium in Bambolim, Goa on Saturday.

Chhetri is yet to score this season and missed a golden chance on Saturday as he blazed over from close range in the 18th minute of the match. The Bengaluru FC skipper has already missed two penalties this season.

His struggle with form has also affected the team as they have now lost four out of their six matches.

Pezzaiouli addressed the media after the match.

Here are the excerpts from his post-match press conference.

Is losing to a FC Goa team who played with ten men for most of the match a difficult blow psychologically?

First of all we came back well. It was a tough game after we went down 0-1 but we came back with a nice goal from Cleiton to make it 1-1. In the second half we lost a bit of our minds after we had the numerical advantage. We didn't keep possession and started to play with long balls. So usually when you have one player more, you don't win games.

It was a good game from us after half-time. We had control over FC Goa completely and we also created chances. But after the first five minutes, we stopped investing in the game as much as before. That was why we lost the game.

The Bengaluru FC defence has been quite poor this season. Is it about tactics, lack of concentration or just quality?

Parag (Shrivas) is coming out of injury. Sarthak (Golui) is not here. King is also out. So we are missing some players. It is clear. That is why everything is not at 100% in our defence right now. But we can talk about the goal and defending set-pieces. We do it as a team and it's not just about the defenders. Also I felt we didn't give the opponent too many chances. So it's not that the defence is poor. It's more about FC Goa causing us problems with their high pressing. Still I don't think FC Goa had too many chances. So we need to talk about how we defend set-pieces and that's how we conceded the second goal and this is not the first time. I am angry but it's not just about defenders but teamwork.

How difficult will it be for your team to make the top four?

I think I look forward to the next game. I take it as a key point. Even till the 96th minute they try to win the game. There was a lot of energy in the team. I think let's take small steps first. We missed two penalties. We lost some points there. Now we make stupid mistakes despite the numerical advantage. This costs points in the end. But I still believe how we play and how we try to win the game. I felt today was also a step higher because we created a lot of chances again that we didn't before. I see that we are getting better and better. This is a new team with new players and they need to find the chemistry. Yes we can't lose 11 vs 10 especially when you have experienced players. They need to serve the team on the pitch.

Sunil Chhetri is struggling with form. Today as well he missed a big chance. What do you think is the problem?

He is a human being. Sometimes you don't have luck going for you. With the national team, he had a lot of luck as the ball fell to him many times and he scored five goals. Today he had a great chance and if he scores it's 1-1. Normally he would score that with his eyes closed. In this hard time, he has the support of the team and also how he worked for the team was good. He needs more luck inside the box. It happens when you don't work but with him he is working and it will come back.

Is it possible to look beyond Sunil Chhetri when it comes to selecting the XI?

I don't think we should be talking a lot about Sunil. I don't pick one player out. We lost today as a team and that I feel is the important part.