“It is a very different competition in the league,” says Bengaluru FC coach Simon Grayson while comparing the Durand Cup and ISL

Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson has complete belief in his team as they look to get back to winning ways as they will face Odisha FC in their upcoming match in the Indian Super League. The Blues started with a win against NorthEast United but they only managed a draw against Chennaiyin FC and suffered a narrow defeat against Hyderabad FC.

Despite having a fantastic pre-season and a great result at the Durand Cup, Grayson shared how they have not found the right balance and the competition in the ISL is very tough. He highlighted how he thought their preparation was really good but once the league started they clearly understood the level of the competition was way too high. However Grayson praised his defence and wants to build on it in the coming days.

“I think we are doing okay, but okay isn’t going to be good enough in the long term to reach where we want to get to. When we looked at the preseason games and training sessions, we were really pleased where we’re going but it’s a different competition in the league. You’ve got stronger teams, you’ve got tempo, you’ve got the crowds in,” Grayson stated at the pre-match press conference.

“From my perspective, when you look at the overall picture, I think defensively we look really solid. We’ve limited the three teams (we have faced) to very few opportunities, even against Hyderabad FC on Saturday night. We didn’t have many saves to make. The shots from outside the box were going over. So that was pleasing,” the Englishman was very impressed with Bengaluru FC’s defending in the past three matches.

Grayson shared how he is still learning about the ISL as it is early days for him and pointed out how the Blues can improve on ball possession and creating more chances. He mentioned how playing in the Durand Cup and ISL is very different but he is hopeful that once he learns about the players, teams and different conditions, his team will start playing better.

“Where we need to improve is probably possession of the ball and creating more chances. And that’s a learning curve. It’s a learning curve for me. I’m still in the early stages of learning about the Hero ISL, about my players, and different environments. As I mentioned before, it’s different playing in the Durand Cup compared to the Hero ISL. You have to have a different mentality. I’m still learning about many things,” Grayson revealed.

Lastly Grayson revealed that star striker Roy Krishna is in contention to return to the starting eleven. But Prince Ibarra is out due to injury and that has been a concern for Grayson going into the season as he does not have the liberty to try out different options. “I’ll give you a secret, he will be available for Thursday. We have suffered over the last few weeks due to injuries. And again, there’ll be some players that won’t be available. But some will be and Roy too. He missed the game on the weekend, but will be available. As I said, we’ve had key players that have been missing. Prince (Ibara) has been missing our pre-season and missed most of this season so far. He is a big player for us,” Grayson concluded.

It will be a tough match for both the teams irrespective of the position or form they are in this season. While Odisha FC have looked really fluid under Josep Gombau, Bengaluru FC have been a slow starter under Simon Grayson and will hope maybe this game will bring the Blues back to form.