Foundation stones of new East Bengal FC are being laid: Carles Cuadrat

East Bengal FC head coach Carles Cuadrat reckons the foundation stones of the new East Bengal FC are being laid. East Bengal won six out of the 22 matches in the Indian Super League 2023-24 season and ended the campaign in eighth place with 24 points.

It was Red and Gold Brigade’s best season so far in the ISL history. Furthermore, East Bengal FC lifted the Super Cup after beating Odisha FC by 3-2 in a thrilling final contest.

Ergo, Carles Cuadrat was able to get the best out of his players and he would want to continue the good show. Reflecting on his stint so far, the Spaniard expressed his delight at the team’s growth at the top level.

Cuadrat said as quoted by the official ISL website, “I can see in the eyes of the fans who talk to me on the streets of Kolkata that we’ve regained the pride of being champions. Everyone truly believes that better things are in store for the club. We’ll participate in an Asian competition again. We have a quality staff and squad. Our U-17 and U-21 squads have been doing exceedingly well, winning championships and reaching finals.

“A two-year project allows you to put a lot of things in order within the club, and that is being achieved week after week. We are in a resurgent phase after many coaches came only for one season and left nothing for the future. If we all continue working in the same direction, the future will be quite bright for East Bengal,” he added.

Cuadrat also played for Barcelona youth teams and later went on to play a coaching role at the club. The Spaniard said he loves taking on new challenges in his career as he has grown and learned a lot from his experience.

“I like challenges. I belong to a sporting culture that had to wait fourteen years for Johan Cruyff to win a tournament again. I’ve been a player of that culture, playing finals against Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and also with the Spanish National Team, from the age of fifteen to twenty. I’ve played European finals against Germany, France and several other top European nations. Later, I was also a coach at FC Barcelona. I’ve been trained to withstand pressure. Pressure motivates me and brings the best out of me in extreme circumstances. I think it was a wise move to take charge of East Bengal FC – one of the best decisions I’ve made in my career,” Cuadrat stated.