SC East Bengal's new head coach Mario Rivera revealed he wants his players to enjoy their football and give their best on the field as they face FC Goa in match 65 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 at Athletic Stadium, Bambolim on Wednesday.

SC East Bengal are eleventh in the points table with six points in 11 matches. They have failed to register a single win this season. Their recently appointed coach, Rivera will replace Renedy Singh who was the interim head coach.

The Spaniard will look to get his tenure off to a positive start.

SC East Bengal lost 1-0 to Jamshedpur FC in their last match. They had managed only one shot on target in the ninety minutes and had almost half the number of passes than their opponents.

Ahead of SC East Bengal’s clash against FC Goa, coach Rivera addressed the media during the official pre-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the press conference.

This will be your first match in the Hero ISL, what are things you’re looking forward to?

My first challenge will be to change the mood of the team. I have joined the team in the middle of the season because it’s not in a good position. So, I want to recalibrate the players mentally and improve the situation.

What kind of approach will you have in Hero ISL compared to your previous stint in I-League?

The approach will be similar because it’s the same situation in a different league. The players are better than I-League players. The approach has to be to try to make the players enjoy their football and give their best on the field.

What’s your overall assessment of the squad and what changes will you bring to the team?

I think the team is much better than what the table is saying. But sometimes, situations affect the performance of the players. We will improve our position in the table. Everyone knows, I love attacking football and I love for my team to be better in transition play.

How difficult is it to take charge of a team in the middle of the season?

It’s always difficult because you need to know the players very fast. You have to do all the things in a short period of time. And the most difficult thing for a coach is to select what are the most important areas where you want to improve the team.