We have ten finals in front of us: East Bengal FC’s Carles Cuadrat
The Red and Gold brigade host Mumbai City FC at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday hoping to close the gap on the sixth spot which remains well within their grasp.
East Bengal FC head coach Carles Cuadrat has urged his team to shrug off the defeat in their last match and focus on the game ahead as they chase a playoff spot in the Indian Super League (ISL).
The Red and Gold brigade host Mumbai City FC at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday hoping to close the gap on the sixth spot which remains well within their grasp.
East Bengal FC trail sixth-place NorthEast United FC by four points but have played two games fewer and their playoff chances are very much alive. But Carles Cuadrat feels his team needs to start winning more matches.
“Now it might look negative because we come from a loss, but a lot of things can happen until the end of the season,” he said in the pre-match press conference.
“What is needed at the end of the season to get the sixth position is to get a certain number of wins. It can be seven, eight or nine. So we have some games to get to these wins, to work and to arrive at the crucial moment of the competition and be ready to get wins. We have a lot of battles to play,” he added.
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As a coach, the Spaniard highlighted the importance of being tactically flexible to overcome the challenges of different opponents as they head into a crucial part of the season.
“From the start of the season, we’ve used a lot of different tactical systems and used players in different positions. I’m not a coach with a book and always do the same, I adapt as per the opponent and to the situation of my squad – depending on injuries and everything,” Cuadrat said.
“I’ve tried playing with three, four, five defenders and two strikers at times. We’re working well, the team is understanding what we’re doing and I’m very happy that we’re heading in the same direction and having a good season,” he added.
East Bengal FC will be without talisman Cleiton Silva who is suspended for the game which will be a blow for the team considering his influence on the side but the Spaniard hopes those replacing him make the most of their chances.
“It’s a good opportunity for them to show that they are part of a deep squad and ready to help the team when it is necessary,” he said.
“I’ll try to protect my players, we have 10 finals in front of us. The playoffs are very important for us, so we’ll try to take advantage of the full squad we have and get the number of wins needed to get into the playoffs,” he concluded.