"My first challenge will be to change the mood of the team" - SC East Bengal's new boss Mario Rivera

Bottom-placed SC East Bengal will start their journey under new head coach Mario Rivera against FC Goa in Match 65 of the ISL 2021-22 at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Wednesday. Rivera said the primary challenge he'll face is to revamp the players' mentality.

Ahead of the game, Rivera addressed the media for the first time since taking over. The 44-year-old said:

"My first challenge will be to change the mood of the team. I have joined the team in the middle of the season because it’s not in a good position. So, I want to recalibrate the players mentally and improve the situation."

After a horrendous start to the season, SC East Bengal parted ways with Manolo Diaz. As Rivera steps in now to take the hot seat, he'll face an incredible challenge to reform the ISL team mid-season. The Spaniard said:

"It’s always difficult because you need to know the players very fast. You have to do all the things in a short period of time. And the most difficult thing for a coach is to select what are the most important areas where you want to improve the team."

He also spoke about the mood in the camp:

"The team is in a much better situation than before, now we have to get the best out of the players."

Click here to view today's ISL match result.

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"The team is much better than what the table is saying" - SC East Bengal boss Mario Rivera

Rivera previously managed East Bengal in the I-League in 2020 when Alejandro Menendez stepped down as head coach. In response to a query if his approach will be different compared to his previous stint, the former video analyst said:

"The approach will be similar because it’s the same situation in a different league. The players are better than I-League players. The approach has to be to try to make the players enjoy their football and give their best on the field."

FC Goa too have struggled in the league and are ninth in the ISL points table after 11 games. But, over the past three games they have been undefeated under new head coach Derrick Pereira.

Asked how SC East Bengal will approach the clash against the Gaurs, Rivera said:

"First of all, I’ll try and keep the spirit of the team intact. The players gave their all in the last few matches. But in football, the balance has to be there in defence and attack and in order to win a match, you have to be better than the opponent."

Rivera also opened up about his assessment of the squad so far.

"I think the team is much better than what the table is saying. But sometimes, situations affect the performance of the players. We will improve our position in the table. Everyone knows I love attacking football and I love for my team to be better in transition play," he said.

The head coach announced that new signing Marcelo Ribeiro dos Santos will not be available for this match as he is not yet ready to start.