ISL 2022-23: We still have a long way to go: East Bengal head coach Stephen Constantine

East Bengal FC head coach Stephen Constantine was disappointed after his team lost against arch-rivals ATK Mohun Bagan by 2-0 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata on Saturday. Constantine admitted that his team still has a long way to go in the tournament.

East Bengal has gotten off to a poor start in the ninth edition of the Hero ISL as they have managed a solitary win in the four matches they have played. Constantine’s team has lost three games, which has put them on the back foot.

Meanwhile, East Bengal could have shared the spoils against ATK Mohun Bagan if their goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh would have been at his best.

Hugo Boumous’ strike should have been stopped by Singh after the ball had bounced right in front of him. The second goal was a slightly difficult save as the ball ricocheted a bit after a deflection from the defender.

Asked if Kamaljit’s error turned the match, Stephen Constantine said in the post-match press conference, “First and foremost, I want to thank both sets of fans. They created an excellent atmosphere and many congratulations to ATK Mohun Bagan for the win. Football is full of mistakes, tonight it was the goalkeeper and on some other day it could have been anyone else. We cannot blame the keeper solely and, right from the start, we were the better team in the first half. We created enough opportunities to score and, had we made an impact with those chances, then, of course, the result of the game would have been different in the end. But by the time they (ATK Mohun Bagan) scored the second goal, the game had gone out of our hands.”

Constantine feels the team is in the rebuilding phase with the new support staff but also believes they have a potent team.

The 60-year-old from London said, “We are in a rebuilding process. It is a new team management and it is going to take time. But with every passing game, we are doing better and, with five to six key players in the squad, I think we are one of the best teams in the league. We have plenty to build on and there is competition for places, which will help us to keep getting better as the season progresses.”

The English manager admitted the team needs to make a lot of improvements in their game in the upcoming matches.

Constantine said, “Every team is trying to get into the playoffs and win a championship. The season is still a long way to go, and we will take it one game at a time. We are trying to lay the foundations for the future of East Bengal FC. There has been ample amount of improvements in every game, we will continue to keep working hard.”

East Bengal FC will next take on Chennaiyin FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata on Friday.