Bengaluru FC will head into their next match in the Indian Super League (ISL) against NorthEast United on Tuesday, looking to end their run of four successive defeats.
Interim coach Naushad Moosa took over from Carles Cuadrat before the last match against East Bengal, but could not churn out a positive result as they went down 1-0 to the ISL debutantes.
Moosa agreed that the team is going through a rough patch but he believes that his troops will fight back against the Highlanders.
"It's been a difficult time for everyone. It is not easy. We are working on it. We just got two days to prepare and then just a couple of days. But we cannot sit back and say this. They are motivated. We were better in the second half against East Bengal. Hope to play better against NorthEast," stated the manager.
Gerard Nus' men are also not in their best form as they have lost two successive matches and are winless in their previous six. But Bengaluru will not make the mistake of taking them lightly and will remain on their toes against the Guwahati-based team.
"I have been watching NorthEast. They are not a bad team. We had a 2-2 draw last time. We cannot be relaxed. The players are aware of the roles and responsibilities. We have 10 games in hand, and maybe the match against Northeast will initiate a better start (for the rest of the tournament).
"We created a lot of scoring opportunities. We didn't convert. We have been working on that. We are trying to hit the target. East Bengal dominated in the first half. We need to be more compact. The players were told what the coach wants and the second half was much better."
Moosa feels that the second half against East Bengal was extremely positive and hopes that the team would bounce back sooner than later.
"Before the game, the message was not to worry about the result. Of course, winning is important. The important thing was to have faith in me. I think I was successful in instilling that. Hopefully, we will do a better job in the next game," stated the 49-year-old.
He has been working with the Bengaluru Reserves for many seasons and he thinks that giving opportunities to younger players might freshen up the team a bit. While Parag Shrivas started the game against East Bengal, Namgyal Bhutia, another Bengaluru academy product, was brought on from the bench.
"We would like to do that. The way Parag (Shrivas) played (was very good) but he got injured. We would like to give them (youngsters) more minutes. We will be trying more of them," signed off Moosa.
The Blues are currently at the sixth spot in the league table with 12 points from 10 games.
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