Head coach Stephen Constantine says current form "not good enough" for East Bengal or for him | ISL 2022-23

For East Bengal, the first half of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season has encompassed the mildest of highs and gaping lows. Out of their opening 10 matches, the Torchbearers have emerged victorious in just three and suffered seven defeats.

In a pre-match press conference ahead of their tie against Bengaluru FC on Friday, December 30, head coach Stephen Constantine underlined that the club's performances were "not good enough."

Asked about his opinion on the season so far, the East Bengal head coach stated:

"If I was here last year, you would've said, 'You've won just one game in the whole season.' That's what happened last year. Obviously, I'm not happy with three wins in 10 matches of course. I think we should've had more points and we had opportunities to get more points. Is it good enough? It's not good enough for East Bengal or for me."

"But we know the problems that we have. We are trying very hard to improve the team. The players are working very hard and I cannot fault them for their efforts. It's not about the lack of effort. Maybe the ability is not there or it's about mistakes."

However, if the Red and Gold Brigade are to turn things around and break into the top six spots, a win against the Blues would be a nice place to start.

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"It does give us confidence" - East Bengal gaffer Stephen Constantine on the victory against Bengaluru FC earlier in the ISL season

When both sides collided earlier in the season, the Kolkata giants emerged victorious by a narrow 1-0 margin. Cleiton Silva scored against his former club to secure the three points.

Will that previous result give East Bengal an added boost? Constantine opined:

"Knowing that we can beat a team like Bengaluru, who are a good side, it does give us confidence. We're also playing at home and we want the crowd behind us. They'll give us the encouragement to play. But Bengaluru are hurt as they lost their last game, so they'll come here and try to get the three points. It will be a tough game."

Meanwhile, Jordan O'Doherty was also present at the press conference. The Australian midfielder has been one of the few positive influences on the East Bengal side. Jordan remained confident ahead of the second half of the season and stated:

"I think in this league there are no easy games and we have also proven that there are no unbelievably hard games either. I can probably only count two games where we weren't the better team.

"In a lot of games, we deserved a lot more. That will only give us a lot of confidence for the second half of the season, knowing we can put on a performance against some of the best sides in the league."

With both clubs desperate for victory, expect Friday's encounter to be an enticing clash.