ISL
ISL: "I decided to come here because East Bengal is a big club in India", says SC East Bengal head coach Manuel Diaz.
SC East Bengal head coach Manuel Diaz faced the media for the first time on Monday. Let's look at what he had to say.
SC East Bengal Coach Manuel Diaz during the training session. (Image Courtesy: SC East Bengal Media Team)
After being appointed at SC East Bengal last month, yesterday, the head coach unveiled himself for the first time in front of the media in a press conference. He was assisted in the conference by his assistant Angel Puebla.
The 53-year-old Spanish coach will be plying his trade in India for the first time. The Red and Golds have signed a lot of Indian footballers ahead of the Indian Super League. Diaz on the other hand, has immense experience of working with young lads in Madrid. When asked about his initial impression of the Indian players of his squad, he said, "At the moment, we are getting to know the players. We now have many players and we are testing them. In the coming weeks, we are going to finalise the squad."
When asked about taking up the job at SC East Bengal, Diaz said, "I decided to come here because it (East Bengal) is a big club in India. Also, I had offers to continue in Spain but I wanted to get international experience. East Bengal is one of the most important clubs in India, 101 years old."
Manuel Diaz has an experience of working in reputed clubs like Real Madrid's Castilla and C team and Hercules CF. He has managed over 300 matches in his career and his experience will surely help the Red and Golds to achieve their targets in which they failed last season. Last season under their gaffer, Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler, the team's performance on the field as well as their position in the points table wasn't appreciable. Coach Manolo said in the press conference, "The last season is past. We are thinking about this season and we want to improve from last season because we want the best for East Bengal."
When asked about his awareness of the Kolkata derby, Diaz said it was a very important match and also added, "We want to win not only for the three points but also for the happiness of the supporters of East Bengal. But we are thinking about the whole season. We want to get the three points (in the derby) but we also we are thinking to do the best in all the 20 matches. But we are ready in the second official match for winning." SC East Bengal will be facing their arch-rivals ATK Mohun Bagan in their second match on the 27th of November, 2021, at the Tilak Maidan Stadium.
Follow The Bridge - Football on Twitter: @bridge_football
