FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando revealed that his team is going through a tough time but remained confident of improving this situation, as his side locks horns with SC East Bengal in their fourth game of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 season on Tuesday at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco da Gama, Goa.

Ferrando stressed on his team's mental strength as the key to take the next step forward in securing their first win of the new campaign following his team’s three-game losing streak. Moreover, the 40-year-old remained positive about his players and urged them to go into Tuesday’s game with a clear mind.

The Gaurs’ head coach addressed the media during a pre-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the coach’s press conference:

Can you tell us about a few positives from the last game?

I’ll be honest, positive is only when you give a high-performance and win the three points. It’s not about whether the game was good, or if we created enough chances, it’s about the win, about the three points, which is of utmost importance for us.

My point of view is that the team should be ready for the next game. Go in with a clear mind and forget the past because it’s a difficult moment in the dressing room for the players. For me, the most important thing is the psychology, to be ready for the next game.

How do you rate your opponent SC East Bengal?

I think the opponent is difficult at this moment because personally, the most important opponent for us is FC Goa itself. But on Tuesday, the most important thing for us is to keep control, be passionate, and keep calm in tight situations.

Minute by minute we need to forget the stress because we know it’s East Bengal, more or less, a new team. We have to be in control of the timing of our game because they’ll be waiting for the opportunities, waiting for us to commit fouls, waiting for our distractions, so it’s very important not to repeat the same mistakes.

You didn’t start Edu Bedia in the last game. Were you happy with the balance you found in the starting XI?

It’s necessary to take a new decision, this is the truth. In the last game, we knew about the press of NorthEast not being so high. So, in this case, we didn’t need more players in the build-up because I was playing Dylan [Fox] and Ivan [Gonzalez] as they know about our game, about our style. It was a real tactical decision for me.

It is important for me to find the right balance of this team. Of course, we need to prepare the team in both styles, and we have to find realistic solutions to the problems we’re dealing with. We have quality foreign players, and they can help the team. It is equally important for me to choose the best line-up in every game.

FC Goa have been creating enough chances, do you think there’s a problem in the final third?

The psychology of the players plays a vital role too. I hope they are confident and believe in themselves, not only as a player but as a team. This is of utmost importance for me, the rest of the points are not more important than this.

Also, if the players are feeling good, the tactical gameplan for the next game will be at its best. But the first step for me is the players to have a bit more confidence and then step by step we can improve massively in the coming days.