We should have been more ruthless: Bengaluru FC’s Simon Grayson
The Blues missed a number of chances in their 1-1 draw against Hyderabad FC.
Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson rued missed opportunities as his side drew 1-1 against Hyderabad FC at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad to pick up their first away point of the Indian Super League (ISL) season.
Ryan Williams’ strike in the second half cancelled out Mohammed Yasir’s opener in the first half as both teams had to settle for a share of the spoils.
But both head coaches will feel their teams created chances to win the three points.
“For a neutral, you can look at it as a very open and entertaining game. From our perspective, we should have been a bit more ruthless when we got the opportunities,” Grayson said during the post-match press conference.
“Hyderabad FC had a few free opportunities with which we need to do better defensively,” he added.
The Englishman wasn’t pleased with the Blues’ first-half performance that saw them hand the lead to the hosts. He acknowledged that his team took some time to cope with Hyderabad FC’s system.
“In the first half, we looked a little bit lethargic that was maybe due to the quick turnaround and the travelling we had got but also due to the shape they Hyderabad FC played. I don't think they have played the 3-4-3 much this season if at all. We didn't come to terms with that because the preparation was all about them playing a different system,” Grayson said.
“We still created some good chances in the first half. They got a goal which we should have done better with and we weren't great defensively,” he added.
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However, Grayson was pleased with the improvement his team showed in the second half after he made four changes at the break. The Blues drew level and carried more threat in the second half but couldn’t get the decisive goal.
“Second half, we made the changes, we passed the ball better, we had more energy and came to grips with their system a lot better and we had some really good opportunities,” the 53-year-old said.
“It's just a shame that we didn't finish off the other golden opportunities. Suresh should have squared it to Sunil but it's football. You make good decisions, you make bad decisions, unfortunately, that wasn't a great one,” he added.
Grayson also expressed pleasure about Williams who scored his second goal in as many matches.
“When you sign new players you want them to be as successful as possible and Ryan Williams is a great lad, got good quality, got good energy,” the head coach said.
“The goal tonight was top drawer. It was a great move and a great run. He has got two in two. Both goals with different qualities but he is in there to score goals,” he concluded.