BREAKING NEWS - Bengaluru FC Part Ways With Head Coach Carles Cuadrat
Bengaluru FC have announced that they have parted ways with their head coach Carles Cuadrat on mutual consent. Assistant coach Naushad Moosa will take charge as the interim coach of the club with immediate effect.
“After deep deliberation with the management, we feel the club needs to head in a new direction – one where the ethos and philosophy of Bengaluru FC begin reflecting again. While we enjoyed success with Carles in the past, we felt there was a departure from the philosophy that we hold true this season, which prompted us to arrive at this decision,” said Parth Jindal, Director, Bengaluru FC.
“I want to express gratitude for everything that Carles has done for this wonderful football club. In the five years, he has spent with us, he has been through all the ups and downs we’ve experienced at BFC,” he added.
Looks like the loss against Mumbai City yesterday seems to be the cause to pull the trigger.
SC East Bengal faces FC Goa tonight at Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco.
SC East Bengal will be counting on the confidence gained from its first win of the tournament in its previous outing against Odisha FC.
The two sides are meeting for the first time. Goa has risen to the third spot with 14 points after wins against Jamshedpur FC and Hyderabad FC, while East Bengal continues in the 10th position with just 6 points.
The Gaurs definitely have the form and will start as the favourite but the red-and-gold brigade are no pushovers bettering their performance in the last three rounds, where it has remained unbeaten. The East Bengal head coach Robbie Fowler admitted of getting the proverbial monkey off the back after beating Odisha FC and securing the team’s first win at the same venue. This is crucial for his team now.
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Fowler makes changes which includes a first start for players while Princeton Rebello gets a recall into the FC GOA XI.
SC East Bengal will lock horns with FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Wednesday.
SC East Bengal had a dismal start to their ISL debut. They were winless in the league after seven games but ended this streak in their last match against Odisha FC. Robbie Fowler’s men picked up a convincing 3-1 win over the bottom-placed team. However, the defense has been an area of concern for them as they have failed to keep a clean sheet till now.
While SC East Bengal currently sit 10th on the league table, FC Goa are in a comfortable position. The Gaurs are currently third on the table. With 14 points from 9 matches, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Just like SC East Bengal, FC Goa have been poor defensively. They have kept just one clean sheet till now. If Ferrando wants to replicate what Lobera did at the club, the team will need to shift gears.
FC Goa and SC East Bengal faced each other back in 2018 in the Super Cup. The Kolkata Giants took the win back then, defeating the Gaurs by a single goal.
FC Goa have the best shooting accuracy of 44.9% in the league after MD9 in the Indian Super League; SC East bengal have the best shooting accuracy inside the box (53.3%). Pinpoint.
A spirited effort from SC East Bengal saw them hold FC Goa to a 1-1 draw. The Gaurs dominated the match right from the start with their passing play. However, they failed to find that killer pass that would have given them the lead.
SCEB too showed glimpses of brilliance but failed to make the most of the chances they created in the first half. As the second half began, FC Goa mounted pressure on the Red-and-Gold brigade backline, as they tested them inside the minute. Robbie Fowler’s side received a massive blow when skipper Daniel Fox was shown a straight red for a reckless challenge. FC Goa upped the ante but could not breach the SCEB backline. It was the Kolkata-based side who broke the deadlock after Bright Enobakhare with some silky footwork danced past three-four FC Goa defenders to roll the ball in into an empty net. However, SC East Bengal’s lead lasted a minute or so as Devendra headed home the equaliser. Both teams had their half-chances after those two quick goals but failed to hit the target as the match ended 1-1.
Following the 1-1 draw against Sc East Bengal, FC Goa hold onto the third spot while SC East Bengal moves above Kerala Blasters. SCEB have 7 points after 9 games while KBFC have 6 points after 8 games.
FC Goa player Edu Bedia attempted 111 passes against SC East Bengal of which 97 were successful, the most in a game during this campaign of the ISL. Bedia also had 129 touches, the most in a match this season, bettering his own record of 113. Sublime.
SC East Bengal maintained their improved form in 2021 after battling to a draw against FC Goa. Debjit Majumder was constantly forced into action and he kept his side in the running. Robbie Fowler’s side played most of the second half with 10 men after skipper Daniel Fox was sent off in the 56th minute.
But they would go on to provide best moment of the match in the 79th minute with Bright Enobakhare netting his second goal in as many matches after darting nearly 40 yards and leaving a trail of defenders in his wake. However, the Gaurs were able to salvage a point through Devendra Murgaonkar.
The British coach believes that Odisha have not defended poorly but isolated decisions are hurting the side.
Odisha FC, languishing at the bottom on the Indian Super League (ISL) table, are the only side yet to win a match this season.
With just two draws in eight matches, they have just two points to show for their efforts. However, coach Stuart Baxter is imploring his players to continue believing in themselves as a crucial game against Kerala Blasters comes up on Thursday.
He admits that making the players continue believing in themselves is his biggest challenge in this tough period for the club.
“The biggest issue that we have at the moment is that despite playing well in most games we have not turned that into results. This is the critical phase of the game. In some of them, we have even dominated. This can damage your belief and confidence. These are the things we have been speaking about,” he said.
"I wish I could put it (the solution to Odisha’s woes) in a bottle and make the players drink it. It would be a lot easier. The first thing that needs to happen that the players do not lose belief.
"My father, he was a coach in Aston Villa, said that if you lose and if you lose your belief then that’s a double defeat. But if you lose and retain your confidence then that’s a half defeat. So we are trying to do that.
"We are aware of the tweaks that we need to do. We are doing that and hence we are improving. When the momentum changes, it will change strongly.
“The players must not attract negativity. They must believe strongly. Like Jerry (Mawihmingthanga), he can re-run the pass in his head and know the solution (most of the times). The positive thing is we know the solutions and put them right in our heads and then just carry on.”
The Red and Golds team management will officially lodge a complaint with the AIFF and FSDL against referee Rowan.
East Bengal are set to lodge a complaint with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) against referee Arumughan Rowan, Goal can confirm.
Rowan, who officiated the match between East Bengal and FC Goa on Wednesday evening, made poor decisions in the game that changed the fate of the match, according to the club management.
Skipper Daniel Fox was sent off in the 56th minute of the match after his challenge on Alexander Romario. The English defender was given a red card straight away and East Bengal feels that the decision was harsh on Fox as the red card could have been avoided.
The second decision which the club questions is Bright Enobakhare’s cancelled goal. Surchandra Singh had made a run into the box to score past Mohammed Nawaz but the Gaurs custodian stopped the effort. The ball ricocheted into the path of Enobakhare who found the back of the net but it was disallowed as Surchandra was punished for a foul on the keeper.
The Red and Golds claim that Nawaz had collided with his teammate instead of Surchandra and hence the question of a foul does not arise.
“After every match, the club can give official feedback about the referee. Along with that feedback, we are also lodging a complaint with the AIFF and the FSDL about two major decisions that were questionable. These things need to be corrected because the team is getting affected a lot,”
“The first one is Bright’s second goal which was disallowed. The replays clearly suggest that Surchandra Singh did not touch Mohammed Nawaz and it was an FC Goa player with whom the goalkeeper had collided. The second one is the red card of Danny Fox because when the challenge happened, the referee initially took out the yellow card but it was the assistant referee who suggested that it is a straight red. We feel it was harsh, it was a 50-50 challenge and he got the ball. If East Bengal had 11 players, it would have been a different scoreline.”
’We had more clear cut chances’ - Robbie Fowler delighted with a point against FC Goa
The East Bengal coach was proud of his team’s valiant effort against FC Goa.
A 10-man East Bengal side managed to earn a hard-fought point against FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) clash on Wednesday.
The Red and Golds were a man down from the 56th minute when skipper Daniel Fox was sent off for a challenge on Alexander Romario. Despite the sending off, they managed to take the lead in the 79th minute via a scintillating strike from Bright Enobakhare. Unfortunately, their lead was shortlived as substitute Devendra Murgaonkar restored parity for the Gaurs within two minutes.
Coach Robbie Fowler wholeheartedly praised his team’s performance after the draw and claimed that his team had more clear-cut chances than the opposition.
“I am delighted. We played against a good team. We probably lacked possession a bit but we deserved it. We probably had the best chances. They obviously had some chances themselves but ours were more clear cut and there’s were more from set-pieces. Our players were brilliant especially after going down to 10 men. I am delighted with a point but we obviously wanted more,” said the East Bengal coach.
Fowler was left in awe of the Nigerian forward who scored the goal dribbling past four FC Goa players. Fowler said, “We have all seen him (Bright Enobakhare) on the pitch. He enjoys his football and he is such a skilful player and he is in control of the most things he does. I enjoy him watching and he gets you on the edge of your seat.”
“We have got players who missed a lot of pre-season and came in very late so we have to look after the players. I keep saying that we are behind a lot of teams in terms of physical fitness. At times players will get niggles and knocks so we need to make do with the players we got. Tonight the players who came in were fantastic and they certainly did not let me down or the club,” said Fowler.
“We played with 10 men. When you play with 10 men and you are playing a good team who play good football of course you are going to be behind the ball. We defended massively and I proud of the way they worked with each other and helped each other. It was a tough game and I think we did not deserve to lose in any way.”
FC Goa’s Juan Ferrando: We lost two points against East Bengal
FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando felt his side created plenty of chances but failed to make the most of it.
A 10-man East Bengal side held Goa to a 1-1 draw in an Indian Super League 2020-21 clash at the Tilak Maidan, Goa on Wednesday.
It was a disappointing result for the Gaurs as they failed to capitalise on their opportunities in the second half.
FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando was unhappy with the result as he felt that his team lost two points. He mentioned that he was not taken aback by the playing style of East Bengal as they were prepared for surprises.
“I am not so happy after 1-1. We want to win all the points. We lost two points,” Ferrando said after the game.
“We prepare the games with different plans of the opponents. In this game, I am happy because we created spaces and opportunities. Not a surprise for us,” he added.
“After the red card, we tried to make more space. But in transition, we lost the ball and it was a clear opportunity for them. The reaction (after conceding) was good but I am not so happy with the transition when we are working in defence,” Ferrando said.
"When you decide to attack, there is so much space at the back. So much space in behind. At the end we took risks.
“Our mentality is to now to focus on the next game. It is most important for us to work and improve,” he added.
Match Preview: Odisha FC take on Kerala Blasters in search of elusive first win
Winless eight matches into Indian Super League ( ISL) 2020-21, Odisha FC will hope to turn their fortunes around when they face Kerala Blasters FC at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Thursday.
Stuart Baxter’s side lost 3-1 to SC East Bengal in their last fixture, while Kerala Blasters FC were beaten 2-0 by Mumbai City FC in their previous encounter.
Odisha have not been at their best so far particularly up front. The Bhubaneswar-based team have scored just two goals from open play this season out of their total of six. And their best player has been Brazilian forward Diego Mauricio who has scored three goals. Mauricio’s strike partner Manuel Onwu, however, is yet to find the back of the net this season.
At the other end of the pitch a grimmer picture awaits us: Odisha is yet to keep a clean sheet, having conceded 14 goals in all. The experience of Steven Taylor and Jacob Tratt has not helped much so far, and Shubham Sarangi is another name to have disappointed.
Speaking to the media ahead of their game, head coach Baxter said, “Every opponent that we have is potentially an opponent we can get a good result against. A lot of their games have been close. It’s going to be a tight and competitive game. I want us to go into this game knowing that we can win this time.”
Odisha have won just once in their last 13 matches going back to last season. Up against another side not at the top of their game, Odisha will hope to win and end their status as the only team yet to win this season.
Sharing his thoughts ahead of the game, head coach Vicuna said, “Every game is a new challenge. Odisha are no different from others. While we are looking for the three points against Odisha, it needs to be said that they have been performing well. They played well against East Bengal too. We need to control the game and make the most of our chances. But we need to be defensively better as well. Football is a balance between attack, defence and transition. We have to improve in every aspect.”
changes which includes a first start for 
players while Princeton Rebello gets a recall into the FC GOA XI.
nd appearance and he lit this game up! 
