ISL 2021-22: We had confidence all the time – Bengaluru FC’s Marco Pezzaiuoli after 4-2 win over Chennayin FC

Bengaluru FC head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli has opined that they never lost confidence despite their poor start to the season in the ongoing Hero Indian Super League 2021-22 after they broke their winless streak and won against Chennayin FC by 4-2 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco, Goa on Thursday.

Prior to this win, the Blues had won a solitary match out of the eight they had played while they had lost four and drawn three. The German manager reckons that his team was playing well in the previous fixtures but they didn’t have the rub of the green on their side.

Marco Pezzaiuoli said in the post-match press conference, “We had confidence all the time. I don’t think we played badly in this spell. The worst game we played was against ATK Mohun Bagan tactic wise and it was a 3-3 draw. I think if you win, you feel better. We can now enjoy the new year better. The team has been playing well from the first game. Sometimes we had bad luck. That’s it”.

The Marina Machans had drawn first blood in the game as Murzaev scored in the fourth minute. However, the Blues went into the first half with a 2-1 lead after strikes from Cleiton Silva and Alan Costa. Bengaluru FC gaffer revealed that his strategy of formation kept changing according to the match situation.

He added, “We changed the formation from four to three at the back. We were trailing 1-0 and I wanted to win the game so I put an extra offensive player. And then we went 2-1 up and it was a good sign. But at halftime the opponent also changed tactically and we struggled in the build-up. Then I changed again to four at the back and it was easy and that’s why we won the game”.

On the other hand, Pezzaiuoli also spoke on Sunil Chhetri’s impact on the team. Chhetri hasn’t been starting for the Blues but the manager revealed that the talisman is pushing himself in the training sessions.

He concluded, “I hope so (on whether we will see Chhetri start in the final XI). He is one of our team members who have a lot of quality. Especially in the last ten days, he trained very well. He was pushing a lot to be a starting member but I decided against it. But he came on and made a good impact on Udanta’s goal and that’s his quality. I think he had 1-2 chances to provide the last pass better. Maybe he is too much a team player. He tried to pass to Cleiton when he could finish himself. But he is a team player and even in training he is pushing the team”

Bengaluru FC will next face SC East Bengal at the Athletic Stadium, Bambolim on Tuesday.