ISL 2019-20 | Very proud of the tactics we were using, asserts Carlos Cuadrat
Bengaluru FC head coach Carlos Cuadrat, ahead of their away match against Jamshedpur FC, has defended his team's tactics against FC Goa despite Ashique fouling Coro in the penalty box in the last minutes. Defender Juanan also praised Ashique despite his foul and supports his other teammates.
Defending Champions Bengaluru FC had an unusual start with only two points in two games. In the season opener, Bengaluru was held on to a goalless draw by NorthEast United FC at home. The Blues lost the full three points against FC Goa in an injury-time Coro penalty and held onto a 1-1 draw. Bengaluru's new signing Ashique fouled Coro in the box as he was playing in his new left-back position instead of his regular left-wing position. However, Bengaluru coach Cuadrat has stated that he was proud of the tactics used against their arch-rivals Goa.
“If you see last season, Goa only lost five games and three of those were against us. That season we were in the same (position that we are in now). Unfortunately, the decision of one player at the end of the game lost us two points (in our last match). But I’m very proud of the tactics we were using,” said Carlos Cuadrat at the pre-match press conference, ISL website reported.
Kerala born Ashique, who is a regular winger in the Indian side, joined Bengaluru FC from the defunct Pune City FC. The winger played in the left-back position in the absence of key Bengaluru foreigners Albert Serran and Erik Paartalu. Moreover, the youngster did a terrible mistake in fouling Coro in the box which eventually led to the penalty and Bengaluru's draw. However, Carlos Cuadrat extended his support to the new signing.
“Ashique is a wonderful player who can play all over the left side. I think that we have to find a place for him on the team. Because of the situation with Erik (Paartalu) and Albert (Serran) out of the team, I have to put (Harmanjot) Khabra in the middle. So, I decided to put Ashique at left-back,” said Cuadrat.
“He has played 193 wonderful minutes and made a very big mistake. In football, you learn. Sometimes you have to live through that experience to improve as a player. But I have no doubt that Ashique is going to help us a lot. He is going to play in different positions in the team. He has the conditions to be a great left-back,” added Cuadrat.
Defending champions Bengaluru will have a tough task in facing in-form Jamshedpur FC who are unbeaten this season. Cuadrat also praised the atmosphere at the Furnace and did not forget to appreciate his Spanish counterpart Antonio Iriondo.
“They have been doing really well. They feel good. They have a nice atmosphere there. The coach is a very tactical coach. We have a lot of respect for him. He has been working for more than 20 years in all categories in Spain and has been successful in getting very humble teams to the top professional leagues. It means there is a lot of work involved.”
“He also brought a good bunch of Spanish players, and the Indian players from Jamshedpur we know them, they are really good players. Farukh (Choudhary) has started the season very well. They are a team who will be difficult to beat, but we need the points and we will try to fight for that," added Cuadrat.
Spanish defender Juanan joined Cuadrat in the press meet and expressed his support to Ashique. “I am very happy with Ashique at (left-back) because I think he played well in our first two games except for the last minute in Goa. But this is football.”
“I’ve played professional football for 12 years. I try to help the team. I help Rahul (Bheke), I help Khabra. I help Dimas (Delgado) because I (can) see from the back. I work for the clean sheets. I don’t see the other strikers,” Juanan added.
