Alejandro Menendez is not new to Indian football nor is he unaware about the high voltage Kolkata derby. The Spanish boss of East Bengal had appeared in two derbies prior to the next clash on Sunday and to his credit, he has won both.
Thus, the former Real Madrid Castilla coach will prepare his team and motivate them ahead of the biggest game of Kolkata and Indian football.
Ahead of the match, the Spaniard said, “We will be playing a big game where the main characters are the players. This game affects many people. This is a big event and we expect to enjoy it. We hope to have a good game.”
East Bengal will be on the back of two wins in the Calcutta Football League (CFL) after the setback in their campaign-opener. The Red and Golds have climbed up the table and now maintain a two-point gap with arch-rivals Mohun Bagan.
But Menendez mentioned he is only focusing on the game and not thinking about the league table. “I am thinking about the next game and will try to win. Not thinking about the table.”
The East Bengal boss refused to accept that his experience in the Kolkata Derby will give him an advantage over his counterpart Kibu Vicuna, who will get a first taste of the age-old rivalry.
Menendez said, “These kinds of games don't care of past record. What happened before or what will happen in the future does not matter here.”
Alejandro Menendez expressed his displeasure on playing the match at 3 PM in the afternoon. “I think it is a big problem. The weather is worse. There is too much humidity. It does not allow the players to have intensity. But no discussion about that as we cannot change that," he opined.
The East Bengal boss confirmed that other than winger Abhijit Sarkar, the entire team is fit for selection.
