Our defence wasn't strong enough: East Bengal FC's Carles Cuadrat
East Bengal FC head coach Carles Cuadrat is disappointed as Kerala Blasters FC edged past them with a scoreline of 2-1.

East Bengal FC head coach Carles Cuadrat is disappointed as Kerala Blasters FC edged past them with a scoreline of 2-1 in matchweek 6 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on Saturday.
The Red and Gold Brigade suffered their third consecutive defeat this season when the Blasters took them down to head to the top of the table.
Kerala Blasters FC opened the scoreline when Japanese winger Daisuke Sakai scored his first goal of the season in the 32nd minute of the match. EBFC missed a golden opportunity to level the game when Brazilian forward Cleiton Silva missed from the spot. KBFC sealed their victory in the 88th minute when Dimitrios Diamantakos found the back of the net. Although the celebration earned him his second yellow card of the night, giving him his marching orders, the prospect of a comeback was negligible.
In the final minute of added time, Silva managed to convert his second attempt from the spot for a consolation goal.
Praising Silva for not giving up and managing to score his second attempt from the spot, Cuadrat admired his attitude to not give up. “I'm happy with Cleiton to shoot the penalty because it shows that he's here for the team as a captain. We have to accept that we can make mistakes, all of us. And in the end, he's keeping the work with the right attitude. So finally he's gone. So the message is, don't give up,” stated Cuadrat in the post-match press conference.
Analyzing the defeat, the Spanish tactician felt his team created a lot of chances but it was a vulnerable defensive display that cost them the match. He said, “I think that we created enough chances to get goals. If you see in the first half, in the second half, at the end, I don't have the numbers with me. But the suggestion is that we were creating some good chances. But then, of course, you have to be strong enough in defence. And the two halves we showed and we are not strong enough in that part of the game, We cannot concede two goals in that way.”
Full-time#EBFCKBFC #JoyEastBengal #EastBengalFC #ISL10 #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/v9sUGqQXJl
— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) November 4, 2023
The 55-year-old feels that his team deserved more points by now, this season, but hopes the players recover from defeats mentally. “Of course, we're going to take advantage of all time. I think that the situation is just, is just mental. The players have to take one step ahead and have to show everybody that they deserve to be in that club and that they are ready to fight for the points," he said.
"Honestly, I think that at that moment of the season, we deserve more points. We have been working to get more points, but in football, this sort of things happening and that kind of things like today happen with a lot of drama, with a lot of emotions. We can get the one-one with two penalties and we missed two penalties. Of course, it's something mental that affects the team, but it's football. You have to come back for the next game,” he shared.
Cuadrat concluded by assuring the fans that his team will utilise the break to adjust their weaknesses. “And of course, we're going to try to play some friendly match, as we have been doing in the last two weeks, and trying to adjust it, hundred percent,” he stated.