"They are hungry to win every match" - Mario Rivera on SC East Bengal players ahead of Odisha FC clash
From two goals down in the first half, SC East Bengal produced a gallant display to script a 2-2 draw against Chennaiyin FC in the ISL on Wednesday. Even with the draw, the Red & Gold Brigade are virtually out of the playoffs. But head coach Mario Rivera opined that the players were still highly motivated.
Speaking to the media ahead of their clash against Odisha FC on Monday, the SC East Bengal gaffer said:
"The players are professionals, they want to win and give their best performance. They are good players and want to show they don't deserve to be in the current position on the table. They are hungry to win every match, score goals. So there's no question about any lack of motivation."
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Their draw against Chennaiyin FC once again proved that the SC East Bengal players are ready to put up a fight. Asked if it was their best performance of the season, Rivera said:
"Yes, the performance against Chennaiyan FC in the second half was one of our best. It will be right up the list along with the first half of the 2nd leg of the Kolkata Derby."
The Torchbearers scored two second-half goals in the fightback against the Marina Machans. Asked what the coach said to his players during the half-time break, the Spaniard said:
"In the dugout at half-time, in the Chennaiyan FC match, I asked the players to be braver. I asked them to give everything on the pitch. The players started to play freely and they delivered. I want the players to continue this form for the last few matches."
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"Very difficult to surprise Odisha FC" - SC East Bengal head coach ahead of their ISL clash
However, SC East Bengal face a steeper challenge in the upcoming game against a hungry Odisha FC side. Despite their high-flying start to the season, the Juggernauts haven't been able to reach their highs consistently.
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When asked about his opponents, Rivera said:
"Odisha FC are a balanced side, they always have four plus two players behind the ball so it's very difficult to surprise them. They have some good players who have experience in the ISL and some of them have also played in the La Liga."
SC East Bengal are 10th in the ISL points table with 10 points from 15 matches. In response to a query about SC East Bengal eyeing a mid-table finish, Rivera said:
"We are not looking at the table now, we are taking it match by match. We want to win the next three points up for grabs and then move on to the next one."
Meanwhile, the head coach was also asked what he thought about the performances of new signing Marcelo Ribeiro. He concluded by saying:
"Marcelo has been working hard, providing us with chances in the opponent's half. He won almost all the duels in the Chennaiyan FC match. Slavko Damjanovic is one of the best centre-back in the league. And Marcelo won most of the duels against him. He is involved in all our attacks someway or the other."