"I've been lucky in my career in India as I have been part of a lot of finals" - Carles Cuadrat

After winning the 2024 Super Cup title with East Bengal, head coach Carles Cuadrat expressed immense pleasure to have been a part of several finals during his time in Indian Football.

The Spaniard, who tasted immense success with Bengaluru FC prior to his current tenure with the Red and Gold Brigade, said (via Sportstar):

"I have been quite lucky in my career in India as I have been part of a lot of finals. This experience is important as it helps you to prepare the players mentally and emotionally for the pressure situation that happens in a final. This means my kind of work is giving results"

On Sunday evening (January 28), at Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Stadium, East Bengal FC defeated hosts and defending champions Odisha FC 3-2 in the final.

With the victory, East Bengal ended their 12-year wait for a major national-level trophy since the Federation Cup victory in September 2012.

"The club has been fighting for results for a long time" - Carles Cuadrat

An elated Carles Cuadrat spoke about the importance of the team dynamics and the players' approach which helped his team go unbeaten throughout the Super Cup tournament en route to their title-winning performance.

The 55-year-old stated:

"The team has developed very good dynamics which is visible in the consistency of its performance. The club has been fighting for results for a long time. The players were very positive this time and that got them to the crown"

Expressing his thoughts about the fiercely contested final between two quality sides coached by the Spanish tacticians, he opened up by saying:

"It is great to win a match against Sergio Lobera who is a coach possessing great tactical insight. The match will stand out as a special match in Indian football with so many tactical contests in that"

The East Bengal FC manager, who took the Kolkata giants to the final of the 2023 Durand Cup in his first-ever assignment with the club, further added:

"It was also a game of being physically well as Odisha FC is a team which is very good with the ball. We had to win the physical part of the action and I am happy that we could do that"

With the year starting off on an incredible note, Carles Cadrat's men will be hoping to extend their winning streak into the ongoing edition of the ISL when the second half of the league commences on January 31.

With 11 points from 10 matches, East Bengal are eighth in the points table. If they want to seal the playoff spot, they will have to give their best in the remaining twelve games starting with Saturday's (February 3) blockbuster fixture - the Kolkata Derby against arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant.