Played against a team whose substitutes would play in our first team: East Bengal boss Stephen Constantine after loss to Mumbai City FC

East Bengal succumbed to their seventh defeat of the ISL 2022-23 season as Mumbai City FC trounced the Kolkata Giants 0-3 at the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday, December 16.

The Red and Gold Brigade looked lackluster throughout the tie, especially in the second half. But in the post-match press conference, East Bengal's head coach Stephen Constantine stressed that there was no lack of effort from his players. He stated:

"I don't think there was a lack of effort at all. They tried very hard, it's just that you're playing against a team whose substitutes would play in our first team, let's be honest. They gave whatever they had, but this is what we have. As for the pre-season, I don't compare pre-season, it's pre-season... We won that game, but it was a meaningless game."

According to the English tactician, the gulf in quality led to his team's loss against Mumbai. He also pointed out the financial mismatch between the sides. He added:

"They have a budget, unlimited. They have six very good foreigners. The Indian players, half of them are in the national team and we don't, so I think it's obvious."

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"They made it especially difficult for us to play in the first half" - Mumbai City FC gaffer Des Buckingham on opposition East Bengal

The Islanders have been flying in the ISL so far, as they remain undefeated after 10 games. On Friday, they completely outplayed East Bengal and played a breathtaking brand of football.

Asked by Sportskeeda about the opposition's performance, Des Buckingham stated:

"They made it especially difficult for us to play in the first half. They sat back and made it difficult for us to play through them through Greg Stewart and Apuia. We struggled last year when we played them. They played in a similar way to last time."

"But again, having the time with this playing group for the last 14 months, we have been able to work on several different ways of playing regardless of how the opposition sets up against us."

The MCFC tactician was also pleased with the clean sheet his side managed to keep. Buckingham further lauded his substitutes, who have been making an impact after coming off the bench.