It has not been a great comeback to Indian football for East Bengal coach Stephen Constantine as his team have lost both the matches in the Indian Super League. They conceded an injury time goal to FC Goa which saw them lose their second match of the season at the Salt Lake Stadium. It was a heartbreaking loss for the players, fans and even for coach Constantine who is keen to make amends as the Red and Golds travel to Guwahati to face NorthEast United.
Speaking at the pre match press conference, the Englishman shared how every team is different and he has prepared as much as he has done for Kerala Blasters and FC Goa. He highlighted how the Highlanders were unlucky in the first game and lauded them for their ability to work hard off the ball.
We take each team that we face as a special case, every team is different, every team have different individuals and so we prepare for the NorthEast United FC the same way that we would prepare for Kerala Blasters FC and also for FC Goa,” Constantine started.
“I watched them back. I thought they were extremely unlucky in the first match. At least not to get a point. They work very, very hard off the ball and it will not be an easy game as there are no easy games in this league. So, we will be disciplined, we will be aggressive and we will try to win the game and come home with all the three points.”
The Englshman shared how he believes in his team and how they have shown some good moments in the last two matches and despite the defeats they will look to carry forward the positives. Constantine is optimistic that a good result will soon come their way with the way they are playing. “If we will play really badly in both games, I would be worried. But we haven’t and we have shown some good moments in both games. So, I’m optimistic that we can play better and get and get the right result,” he added.
Lastly he praised the great support that East Bengal gets everywhere they go despite the early setbacks. Constantine lauded the support and shared that even if the club goes abroad, the fans will come to the stadium and that is the greatness of the club. He also hopes that they get to celebrate the first win soon.
“When you are the coach of East Bengal FC, you expect big support to be there wherever you are. If you’re going to Brazil tomorrow, they will be there. If you go to England, they will be there. Then you go to the United States, they would be there as well. They are everywhere and we need them to come and support us home or away, and hopefully, they will not have to wait much longer for the first win,” Constantine signed off. .
Before leaving he also highlighted how Aniket Jadhav is in the reserves for more gametime as he does not suit the style that the Red and Golds are trying to play. Also he wants the fans to be mindful of the criticism that is being drawn towards Sumeet Passi.
