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New Bengaluru FC Head Coach Gerard Zaragoza called for his Blues to show a shift in mentality, ahead of his side’s clash against Jamshedpur FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, on Saturday. Bengaluru, who are winless in seven games and find themselves in ninth place, will be keen to arrest their slump under the Spaniard, who arrived in the city on Friday morning and had one session with the team later that evening.
“I am not here to begin working on next season. We have to take this game by game, three points by three points and try our best to change things. I am excited to be back here, at a club that I have stayed in touch with since I left four years ago, and I felt this was the right opportunity to come in and make a difference,” said Zaragoza, speaking to the press on the eve of their game.
The Blues went down 2-0 to Chennaiyin FC earlier this week under Interim Head Coach Renedy Singh, while Jamshedpur FC come into the fixture on the back of a 2-2 draw against the same opposition. Zaragoza maintained that his first steps will aim at organising the squad, while working towards dominating football matches again.
“Football is maybe third or fourth on the list of things to do. We need to help these players recover first, not only as footballers but also as people. We will organise the way we play, and I’m Catalan, so my aim will be to play attractive, attacking football that will aim to dominate football matches,” Zaragoza added.
Skipper Sunil Chhetri, who is the top-scorer in clashes between these sides with five goals to his name, called for his team to fight for the Blues’ loyal fans, who stayed back and chanted in support of their team despite the 4-0 loss to Mumbai last week.
“I will not appeal to the fans, because they have been incredible. My appeal is now to the dressing room to bring the fight onto the pitch. We lost 4-0 to Mumbai and they sang for us. Even if it’s just one supporter in the stands tomorrow, we want to bring the fight,” said Chhetri.
Bengaluru’s run of form finds them five points adrift of the last playoff spot, and victory on Saturday could take them as high as seventh on the table. Jamshedpur, who are one point adrift of the Blues, have six points from nine games.
“I am sure that Jamshedpur will know that this is a good time to face us. They will fight for the three points, and our aim is to stick together as a unit and make sure we perform to the best of our abilities. The supporters of this club are special, and we will look to give them something back,” said Zaragoza.
Kick-off between the Blues and the Red Miners is scheduled for 5.30pm IST and will be telecast live on JioCinema and the Sports 18 network. Tickets to the fixture are available on PayTM Insider.
