ISL 2019 | It’s not a calamity to lose one game, claims Carles Cuadrat

Goals from Jeje Lalpekhlua and Gregory Nelson ensured that defending champions Chennaiyin FC picked up a rare three points as they defeated a high-flying Bengaluru FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Saturday. The visitors saw a host of first-team starters dropped to the bench as coach Carles Cuadrat looked to offer some much-needed rest ahead of the busy schedule ahead.

"Of course, there are always problems on the pitch. You have to rotate the team. Our position on the table, it gives us the privilege to make some changes and afford some mistakes. We are lucky in that regard. There are also injuries for others. For us, it looks good as we have players coming back after problems like Miku. We are going to try to manage these situations. Play-off is not far away and we are preserving players like Dimas, Udanta etc. It's not calamity to lose this game," Cuadrat said at a post-match conference, reported Goal.com

"We have been using one team while Miku was well and now we can rotate and rest players and it is a different team playing. So they do not have the mechanics of the team that was playing in the first games of the season. I wanted to give some rest for the players since they are going to be important in the play-offs. You have to rotate to have players fit for the play-offs. This is our plan," he further added.

This was the second consecutive occasion when Sunil Chhetri & Co. conceded two goals in the opening 45 minutes of the game. Although the captain pegged one back for the visiting team in the 57th minute, he could not prevent a rare loss for his team. The Spanish coach also rested the likes of Dimas Delgado, Udanta Singh and Albert Serran with one eye on the fast-approaching play-off stages.

"I have to take such decisions. I have to see if players are ready. When you have players who have a lot of minutes in the competition, and you have games within three-to-four days, the risk of injuries is very high. So, I should choose players who have no muscle problems like Erik, Juanan.

"About the points, we are a humble team. Last season, with 30 points was enough and we have 31. Others will also lose points. So, let's see. But I hope we can qualify much before," Cuadrat added.