"We want to stay compact and create chances" - Bengaluru FC assistant coach Renedy Singh ahead of home tie with Hyderabad FC | ISL 2023-24
Bengaluru FC host Hyderabad FC in a match in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, February 24. Labelled as a battle between two teams who have both been far from their best this season, this is bound to push all boundaries when it comes to self-preservation.
Bengaluru assistant coach Renedy Singh, who will be in charge of this game since head coach Gerard Zaragoza is facing a suspension, addressed the media on Friday to illustrate what his team's plans are.
"We are preparing well. Losing to Mumbai City 0-4 was a big shock to us but when we went back there, we did well," Singh told reporters. "Unfortunately, we could not win, but we played well. We want to stay compact, create chances and open up the game. We want to keep pushing. This is a process that we have to continue following. If we keep doing that, the goals will come."
One of the recurring themes in the discussion was the Blues' inability to convert the chances they created against Mumbai City in their previous game, which they lost 0-2.
"In the last game, we created four good chances out of which four hit the bar. We have to create chances. You can have a good game but not win. We don't want that. A few new players have come in, and they have settled well. We are building well from the back and the goals will come. We have immense belief in this system. We are creating chances - that is the good thing," he added.
"Hyderabad, if you saw their last game, they made life difficult for East Bengal" - Renedy Singh
Bengaluru, who are ranked in the 10th position of the league table at the moment, will hope that they can get all three points here and move up the standings.
Hyderabad, languishing at the bottom of the standings, have little to lose but everything to gain. Even a victory in this game will not help them change their position in the table, but it will be a huge boost to Thanboi Singto's boys' morale.
Renedy Singh knows that the young Nawabs can threaten Bengaluru at home, and he is not taking them lightly at all.
"Hyderabad, if you saw their last game, they made life difficult for East Bengal. Their young boys will run for all ninety minutes. If not for the missed chance that hit the goalpost towards the end, they could have drawn that game. It is going to be difficult but if we concentrate on our game, we should do well. We have to do well - we have to win this game," said Singh.
"The team knows that we have to win. We have big games coming up but we have to think only about tomorrow. If we think about what we will face four-five games from now, we will have big problems. We have to think about that and focus only on tomorrow. And as I said, create more chances and convert them," he signed off.