"This is a rebuilding project" - Stephen Constantine reflects on East Bengal's underwhelming ISL 2022-23 season

Languishing in the ninth spot, East Bengal FC have had an underwhelming season in ISL 2022-23 to say the least. However, head coach Stephen Constantine on Thursday, January 19, reiterated that it was important for the club to maintain their patience as "this is a rebuilding project."

In a pre-match press conference, the English tactician opined that most things hadn't gone in favor of the Red and Gold Brigade so far this season. Constantine stated:

“We have seven games left, and we have been close in many games, lost the games due to individual mistakes, but we must continue to fight and get as many points as we can. For me, this is a rebuilding project so we cannot go 15 games unbeaten in the first rebuilding season and things have not worked in our favor for various reasons, that is a fact.”

The Kolkata giants currently have just 12 points from their 13 matches and are heading into the game on the back of a 1-2 loss against Jamshedpur FC. They now face defending champions Hyderabad FC, who are comfortably placed in the second spot.

However, Constantine opined that playing against these better teams could be a chance for his team to step up. He added:

“You always want to play in such games against the big teams because there is always a possibility that you can take points, and that makes your performance better, and we want to get better after every game. We have scored first and taken the lead, but we must be able to defend well and not lose our shape, we need to do a better job.”

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Cleiton Silva stresses that East Bengal "need to have the mentality to win"

Although East Bengal haven't managed to particularly impress in the Indian Super League, their star forward Cleiton Silva has been single-handedly leading the frontline.

The Brazilian forward has scored nine goals in 13 appearances and is the joint top-scorer in the league.

Speaking about his mentality of rising to the occasion, Cleiton, who was also present at the press conference, stated:

“I try to push myself, we have to give our 100% every time. It is a worry when you score and the team does not win, but scoring goals always helps the team, still, we have to do a better job as you need to have the mentality to win the game.”

If East Bengal are to get the three points against the Nizams, they'll need Cleiton to be at his clinical best.