ISL 2019 | Mumbai planned it much better than us, admits Carles Cuadrat

01/28/2019

Bengaluru manager Carles Cuadrat has stated that Mumbai City had their strategies spot on after the Blues succumbed to their first defeat of the season yesterday. The result has heated up the race to the top between the two teams as both sit with 27 points with Mumbai having played one extra game.

While the Islanders were definitely approaching the match in peak form, staying unbeaten in their previous eight matches that included only two draws, a positive result against Bengaluru FC was still surprising. However, Mumbai showed incredible discipline in their defence soaking up anything and everything Bengaluru threw in their way and Cuadrat admitted to the fact that both the teams had separate plans approaching to the match and the Spaniard chose taking the risky patch.

"I think that the two teams had a very clear plan. At the end, Mumbai got the three points because the area that they were planning, it worked well. The area was to go for counter-attacks and they scored from it. We know that. We had two options. One was to defend for the counter-attacks and the other was to go for the game. So, we took risks. I wanted to go for the game," he said at the post-match press conference.

In the likes of Arnold Issoko, Moudou Sougou, Matias Mirabaje, Lucian Goian, and others Mumbai would definitely boast of some of the strongest players in the league. And Cuadrat stated that it made winning all the one-on-one situations tougher for his men.

"It’s clear that Mumbai are a more physical team than us in the actions of one against one. So, that was the reason we had more people in the midfield. But as I said, the players are not so powerful physically. But they gave everything. I’m very happy with the performance they gave. They have been working so hard," he opined.

After having yet another horrible start to the season, where they succumbed two defeats and a draw in their first four games, the Islanders have finally found the form they were looking for. After Mumbai’s longest-ever undefeated run in ISL, manager Jorge Costa was all praise for his side.

"Yes, it’s true that we are top of the league. It’s important for us. We must keep working. It was a very important game against one of the best teams in India with very good players. It’s a team that hadn’t lost. This victory will give us more motivation to keep doing our work,” he said.

“I was a little afraid because it was the first game after the break. The players can forget some things. So, I’m very happy with the result and the way in which we won the three points. We deserved the win," Costa added.

The 1-0 win has taken Mumbai to the top of the table with 27 points after 13 matches. They have five more league matches before the play-offs start and 30 points have often been considered to be safe enough in order to secure a top four spot.

ISL 2019 | Mumbai planned it much better than us, admits Carles Cuadrat

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