Post his side’s frustrating draw against Mumbai FC in the I-League, their fourth on the trot, Bengaluru FC coach, Albert Roca sarcastically stated that he may have to adopt an extreme approach to churn out wins from now on.
“Perhaps I will play with nine strikers now, that may be the solution. I am very proud of my team; our intention has always been to win games. We will never surrender that’s for sure, we are Bengaluru FC and we will try until the last game of the season,” he said.
After Saturday’s draw in Mumbai, Bengaluru are now without a win in their last six matches, something that concerns Roca, who is positive about his club’s chances.
“We are frustrated. The dressing room feels like we’ve just lost a game. We did a good job again and nothing to complain. I think we had control for most parts of the game and we created better opportunities than Mumbai.”
“We have to see, for sure it’s not good. But after the two games that we lost, I think that the team has produced a very good performance. I cannot complain about my players. We have to keep working,” the Spaniard stated.
Asked if he believes the team is over-reliant on Sunil Chhetri, Roca said, “Yes I would like that the other players also score. Last 4-5 games, Sunil has scored and today he had the clearest opportunity again. He is a brave player and captain. It’s not a problem of tactics, we’re just unlucky,” he explained.
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Roca was utterly disappointed with the standard of refereeing. The referee decided to award three minutes of added time at the end of 90 minutes, though it must be stated that there were six substitutions made in the second half, add to a couple of injury stoppages.
“I cannot understand why always; the referees permit the other team all the time to waste and only add 3 minutes in the end. It goes against us and the team that wants to win. It helps the opposition who has no intention to win.”
“It only happens here in India and must be looked into. If it’s normal or not. It’s not an excuse but this happens every time. Perhaps this is a rule only in this country. It’s not acceptable what the other team is trying. Our doctor came into the pitch two times and 6 substitutions were made but the referee awards only 3 minutes,” he added.
Roca refused to comment whether he will take this up with the AIFF: “We have played only 20-25 minutes perhaps (in the second half). Normally one plays around 30 minutes,” he concluded.
