ISL 2019-20 | Match against Kerala is great for Indian football, asserts Carles Cuadrat
Bengaluru FC head coach Carles Cuadrat has asserted that match against Kerala Blasters is great for Indian football as the ISL returns after the international break on Saturday at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Erik Paartalu who starred in Bengaluru's only win of the season seconded his coach.
ISL returns after two weeks of the international break with a thrilling southern derby between champions Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday. Bengaluru have had an unfamiliar start to the season with only one win and are fifth on the table with 6 points.
Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters are heavily burdened with injuries to their key foreign players and are seventh in the table with four points. However, Bengaluru head coach Carles Cuadrat has stated that Kerala Blasters are top side and believes the match will be great for Indian football.
“Kerala are always a top team to play against. Of course, they will have their supporters here too and the atmosphere will be good. I am waiting for the match because it’s great for Indian football. We have nice moments playing against Kerala in Kochi in front of a full stadium and it will be the same here. It’s very good for football,” Carles Cuadrat told reporters at the pre-match press conference ISL website reported.
The international break came just after Bengaluru's first win of the season against Chennaiyin with the likes of Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and six other Bengaluru FC players called up for the Indian national squad. This is the most from any ISL side and could have a knockdown effect for the Blues, but the coach took the positives out of the big international fixtures and he also added that they can do nothing about the calendar.
“I think we are working hard from the start. We may have had our first victory of the season in the last match, but we could have won any of the other three matches we drew. The calendar is what it is, there’s nothing we can do about that. I always try to be positive. We can look at it both ways. We can also see it as our players playing in big international matches. It can give some extra leverage as playing in big games is good for any player,” the Spaniard said.
Erik Paartalu returned from injury against Chennaiyin FC, before the break, to score a goal in the early minutes and assisted a late winner to ensure Bengaluru's first win of the season. The Australian midfielder sat alongside his coach and went on to admit that it's important for the team to not just win the game against Kerela but also play good football.
“There are a lot of people who live in Bangalore who are from Kerala, so it adds a bit more to the rivalry. It's important for us to put on a spectacle. We want to put on a show and make sure these fans come back week in and week out because that's what's important. It was a nice way to reintroduce myself to Indian football. It’s always easier to return when you have good players and good support staff around you.
"I had a good pre-season but was unlucky to have incurred another injury just before the start of the season. It was a long time coming and am happy to be back. I want to push on from here.”, Paartalu concluded.
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