ISL 2023-24: It was a very professional performance: East Bengal FC’s Carles Cuadrat

East Bengal FC’s head coach Carles Cuadrat was delighted after a goalless draw against Mumbai City FC in the 10th match week of the Indian Super League at the Mumbai Football Arena on Saturday.

The visitors only had 30.9% possession but they were able to keep the Islanders’ strikers at bay. Mumbai City FC could only take two shots on target despite having almost 70% of possession whereas the Red and Gold Brigade took a solitary attempt on goal.

“We have one more point. I think it’s going to be a league with a lot of draws, with a lot of teams fighting for the (top) six slots in the league. So all these points help us to get close to the places. But at the same time, we have to get victories to try to fight for that place (top six spots),” Cuadrat stated in the post-match press conference.

“Until now we have too many draws and only two victories. But I think that the team is working in the right direction to make these draws into three points,” he added.

“There was a lot of space at the end of the match, to go for the counter-attack and to try to kill them (Mumbai City FC). So, it was a very professional performance,” the Spaniard continued.

East Bengal FC were able to grab their third successive clean sheet as they shared the spoils with Punjab FC after a 0-0 draw whereas they had registered a thumping win of 5-0 against NorthEast United FC. Cuadrat gave credit to the team’s defensive unit for doing a fine job.

“It’s the third clean sheet in a row. And if you want to be competitive, you have to have a good defence. And from there, you can build and can try to win the games. If you see FC Goa, for example, they are in the top of the league and they have gained five clean sheets in the last five games,” he said.

“The team is showing good organisation, a good way to understand the game. So I’m very happy for the effort that the guys are doing for that,” Cuadrat added.

East Bengal FC will next take on Odisha FC on December 22 at the Salt Lake Stadium before going into a break.