"Being okay isn't going to be good enough"- Bengaluru FC head coach on making improvements in his side's performance | ISL 2022-23
Odisha FC will host Bengaluru FC in their upcoming match in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season. The two sides will square off at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Thursday, October 27. So far, the Blues have registered one win, one draw and one loss.
Their last encounter against Hyderabad FC, which was an away game, turned out to be the first loss for Simon Grayson's side. Hence, Sunil Chhetri and his companions will be eager to return to winning ways when they cross paths with Josep Gombau's side.
In a press conference ahead of their second away game of ISL 2022-23, Grayson underlined the positives and negatives he has derived from his team's outing so far. On that note, he said:
"I think we are doing okay. But being okay isn't going to be good enough in the long term. When we looked at the pre-season games and training sessions, we played really well but this is a different competition. You've got stronger teams, and you've got tempo.
"The fans are back as well. If you look at the picture from my perspective, we've been solid defensively. I think we limited the three teams we played against to very few opportunities. We need to improve in keeping possession of the ball and creating chances and that's the learning curve."
Fijian ace Roy Krishna was absent in the side's encounter against Hyderabad FC, which made a difference as Bengaluru FC failed to cause problems for the Nizams defense. Joining Krishna in the medical room is Prince Ibarra, who has been out since the Durand Cup.
Speaking on the side's injury concerns and the possibility of Krishna making a comeback against Odisha FC, Grayson said:
"I'll give you a secret. He'll be available for Thursday night. But we have suffered over the last few weeks with a few injuries. Some players won't be available, but some will. We have key players who have been out due to injuries. Prince has been out since pre-season and he is a big player for us. He has been affected by an injury that is still not quite right."
Bengaluru FC's Gurpreet Singh Sandhu lauds Sandesh Jhingan's presence in team's backline
Bengaluru FC have stuck to a three-man backline, which includes Alan Costa, Sandesh Jhingan and Aleksandar Jovanovic. Bengaluru FC custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandu, who accompanied his gaffer to the press conference, appreciated the contribution made by the former ATK Mohun Bagan defender.
He said:
"Having Sandesh in the backline has been very helpful because we have played 40-50 games together. Having him there makes it easier for me to communicate and then he can pass on the information to the players up front. It's been a good balance of having communication with him and also sorting everyone out."
Grayson has provided some clarity on his decision not to start Javi Hernandez at the start of the season. The Bengaluru FC head coach stated that the Spaniard has spent very little time in the pre-season, hence, they don't want to take a risk by playing him for full 90 mins. But the Bengaluru gaffer also believes that Javi could impact the team's performance and is hoping to consider him in the playing eleven in the future.