ISL 2022-23: "Not to finish last" - East Bengal boss Stephen Constantine on his target for the season ahead of FC Goa clash

A lot has been said and written about East Bengal and their new head coach Stephen Constantine after they started their Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 journey with a 3-1 loss to Kerala Blasters FC last Friday, October 7.

However, the former Indian national team head coach underlined on Tuesday, October 11, that for a team who started their preparations four weeks back, the expectations have to be a lot more "realistic."

When asked about his target for the ISL season, Constantine said in a pre-match press conference:

"Not to finish last.

"We're not thinking of top four or top six. We are looking at one game at a time. We don't have the luxury of the budget some other teams have, or the months-long pre-season they have had. If people are expecting East Bengal to be in the knockout spots after just four weeks of preparation, then they have to be a little bit more realistic."

The Red and Gold Brigade will next face FC Goa at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Wednesday, October 12. Asked how the team will approach the upcoming clash, Constantine stated:

"Whether we're home or away, we'll always try to go for full points. We are here to win games. Yes, we don't have a lot of information on Goa as they have a new coach and I'm sure he'll try to impress. So we'll have to see."

Against the Blasters, East Bengal managed to keep a clean sheet till the 70th minute before Adrian Luna broke the deadlock. Soon after, Ivan Kalyuzhnyi doubled Kerala's advantage.

When asked by Sportskeeda if the first two goals were a result of defensive lapses or individual errors, Constatine opined:

"I think most goals come from individual errors. The question is, can we fix these individual errors? Hopefully, in the upcoming games, we can be tighter in marking. Those weren't great goals to concede from our perspective. Players need to be marked, they weren't and we paid."

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"It's not about how you start the season, it's how you finish" - Stephen Constantine's message to East Bengal fans

The Torchbearers, at times, looked like a helpless side against the Yellow Army, especially towards the end of the game. But Constatine believes that while the players need time to improve and gel together, the fans need to be patient. He explained:

"We've been together as a team for the last four weeks. I thought for 70 minutes against Kerala Blasters, who have been under the same coach for almost two years now, we did okay.

"But we cannot build a team in four weeks. We had Tuhin Das and Lalchungnunga, who were playing in the ISL for the very first time. We are in a rebuilding process."

Constatine added:

"We had some good moments in the last game but I'm not saying we're anywhere near where we want to be come the end of the season. But it's not about how you start the season, it's how you finish. We'll get better every week and the players will have a better understanding of what we're asking them to do."

Veteran centre-back Ivan Gonzalez was also present at the press conference. The Spaniard will be going up against his former side and the narrative will give him an added boost ahead of the match against FC Goa. The East Bengal defender said in this regard:

"I'm very excited because I'll be playing against my former team. You can use these motivating factors positively. It's also our first ISL game here at Salt Lake Stadium after two years. Hopefully, the fans will see one strong and aggressive team."

Following the loss against the Blasters, a lot of questions were raised regarding East Bengal's team selection, with Sumeet Passi and Tuhin Das being part of the starting XI.

Aniket Jadhav, who East Bengal signed from Hyderabad FC in the summer, failed to even make it to the matchday squad. Asked if the exclusion was based on any injury concerns, Constantine simply responded in the negative.