Got to treat Hero Super Cup as 5 cup finals: Bengaluru FC boss Simon Grayson eager to secure AFC Cup slot

Bengaluru FC's hearts were broken on the final day of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season when they lost on penalties to ATK Mohun Bagan in the grand finale.

However, with the Hero Super Cup 2023 just around the corner, Simon Grayson and his men are eager to turn their attention completely towards the tournament.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, the Bengaluru FC head coach emphasized the need to carry on the momentum the club built at the fag end of the ISL season.

The Blues had a monumental run in the league, where they went from being ninth in the standings to reach the final in a matter of two months. Grayson averred:

"It's another competition where we want to try and do the best that we can. That was our intention throughout the Durand Cup and even the Indian Super League. We got into both finals there. This one will be no different. The thing about the tournament is that there's an Asian qualifying spot up for grabs. We want to pickup from where we left off with the quality and the momentum at the back end of the ISL season."

According to the format, the winners of the Super Cup will play 2021-2022 I-League champions Gokulam Kerala FC for a place in the 2023-24 AFC Cup group stage. Will the shot at continental club football act as extra motivation for Bengaluru FC? The English gaffer responded:

"Yeah, I think it's a big motivation and has been part of the conversation around the club even before the season started. If it was normal competition, it would probably be a waste of time as no one would've any real motivation. But now we have the AFC slot. We've got to treat this as potentially five cup finals to try and get the slot. That's our sole ambition."

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"We were disappointed because we wanted to win" - Bengaluru FC's Rohit Kumar on the ISL 2022-23 final defeat

Meanwhile, Rohit Kumar, who was also present at the press conference, was asked about the heartbreak of losing the ISL 2022-23 final. The 26-year-old midfielder responded:

"As a team and as players we were disappointed because we wanted to win. But in football, you can't win everything. But at the end of the day, we move on and we learn from what we do. We are proud of the remarkable season we had with the team.

"The next day when I had to return to the national camp, I was disappointed and just thinking about the ISL final. When I saw Manvir Singh and Pritam Kotal (ATK Mohun Bagan players) in the national camp, it felt weird as they were champions. Now we're focusing on winning the Super Cup."

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"Have done a lot of research on them" - Simon Grayson ahead of Bengaluru FC's opening clash against Sreenidi Deccan FC

Bengaluru FC have been drawn in Group A alongside Kerala Blasters FC, I-League champions RoundGlass Punjab FC, and their opening day opponents Sreenidi Deccan FC. Has the Blues been able to study their I-League opponents enough ahead of the crucial clash?

"First and foremost, we'll be concentrating on how we play. The attitude and the performances we had during the ISL, we obviously want to perform in the same way. Yes, it's easy to watch the ISL teams, but we're still able to do enough research [on Sreenidi Deccan FC] from watching I-League games, speaking to coaches and analytics in the league. We don't know 100 percent about them but have done a lot of research on them," Simon Grayson stated.

Sreenidi were neck-to-neck with RoundGlass Punjab in the I-League title race before losing steam in the final four games. Hence, the Hyderabad-based club will be eager to rejuvenate their form.

The 4-2 win over NEROCA FC in the qualifiers showed exactly the kind of test Bengaluru FC can expect.