Football
"The squad is doing their best but it's not enough," says SC East Bengal Head Coach Manuel Diaz
After yet another loss in the ISL, SC East Bengal Head Coach Manuel Diaz faced the media.
"The squad is doing their best but it's not enough," Says SC East Bengal Head Coach Manolo Diaz
Jose Manuel Diaz's SC East Bengal registered yet another loss at the hand of North East United FC in the Indian Super League. Losing 2-0, it is the seventh winless game for the Kolkata giants this season.
With a highly contested first half, both the teams failed to register any goals. However, the deadlock was broken in the 60th minute by V.P Suhair for the Highlanders. The lead was doubled by Patrick Flottmann, eight minutes later. The woes of SCEB were further enhanced when they were rendered to 10-men following Antonio Perosevic's marching orders.
Talking to the media after the game, Coach Diaz suggested his squad was not capable enough to cope up with other teams in the tournament.
On the absence of Adil Khan and Amarjit Singh Kiyam
Adil Khan and Amarjit Singh Kiyam have been some really good cadets for the National team. In fact, Amarjit was seen leading the squad for FIFA U-17 World Cup. However, they have not been given any starts this season, despite the defensive and midfield woes of SC East Bengal. Speaking on their absence from the starting lineup, the coach stated, "In the ISL, only 11 players can play every match and the eleven that start is my choice."
Coach Diaz was seen replacing the defenders with Amir Dervisevic and Wahengbam Luwang, even with Adil Khan on the bench. Explaining his reasoning, the coach said, "Amir and Luwang played in their own positions in midfield. Raju Gaikwad played as a centre-back which is his natural position. That's the reason I made these changes."
On SC East Bengal's overall performance
SC East Bengal are still winless in the tournament. They are yet to have an impactful match this season. Talking about his team, the gaffer was quoted as saying, "It is a difficult situation. But after North East United's first goal we played well. We had very good opportunities."
Adding to that, he admitted his players, despite giving their best are not being able to be up to the mark. "The players are doing their best but the performance is what it is. We have a big problem to win three points and we need to improve. The squad is doing their best but it's not enough. The level we have is what we have." said the gaffer.
