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SC East Bengal, in their penultimate game in the Indian Super League, square off against NorthEast United FC at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco, Goa on Monday.
The Red & Gold Brigade are currently placed at the bottom of the ISL points table but will leap over the Highlanders with victory in their next couple of matches. With their top-four dreams out of reach, Mario Rivera was asked how important victories are in the upcoming games. The Spaniard said:
"Yes, it’s crucial because if we win, we will overcome NorthEast United FC in the table, and we will try to do that. The final test is good because we’re playing well but we also want to get some good results. You have nothing to lose now."
SC East Bengal have been out of the knockout battle for a long time and are on a six-game winless streak. However, Rivera lauded his players and the attitude they've shown on the field.
"If we watch the last four or five matches, I think I don’t need to explain again how to motivate the team. The team is playing better, with a better attitude, better offensive style, and the mood of the team is really good. All of the players are training very hard, enjoying it, and we don’t need to do something special to motivate them."
View the today's ISL match result here.
"I don’t like to play the first eleven in every match" - SC East Bengal's Mario Rivera opens up about his approach ahead of games
Since taking over from interim boss Renedy Singh, Mario Rivera has experimented with multiple starting lineups in their consequent matches. The head coach was asked if his lineup is based on their individual strategy or the formation the opposition plays with. Rivera said:
"It is 80% strategy and 20% based on the opponent. I mean, in modern football, you need to play in different formations, it’s much better for you, it’s more difficult for the opponent. Also, I don’t like to play the first eleven in every match. We played the last two matches with 18 players."
The Spanish gaffer further said:
"And I think the performance is going up with each match, and this is good because it reflects that the team is training well and that all the players are ready to play. And if all the players are ready to play, then we can choose a different formation, the best formation to use in the next match."
