BENGALURU: After winning the nail-biter against defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim in the second leg of the AFC Cup semifinal, a visibly elated Albert Roca sat down with the media to celebrate his side’s progress to the final of the AFC Cup. He discussed many a thing including their set-pieces, skipper Sunil Chhetri’s standout performance, the noisy fans of Bengaluru FC and plan ahead of the AFC Cup final on November 5. EXCERPTS:
His reaction to the final whistle yesterday…
“It’s a great moment in the history of this club and the country itself. Perhaps now, people will say that India is not only just a cricket crazy country. Football has created a shift of sorts and we have done something incredible.”
On how set-pieces worked for his side on the day…
We train a lot on our set pieces. Carles Cuadrat, my assistant, is doing a good job in that department and I must congratulate him for that. But at the end of it all, it’s the players who are on the pitch and have to make decisions so credit to them as well.
On captain Sunil Chhetri’s performance…
Sunil is an example for everyone here. He is the right captain for Bengaluru FC and there isn’t another captain like him. From the first day that I’ve been here, he has been really dedicated and focused. He’s very helpful in training and is very involved in the progress of the team. He is a big part of the success we’ve achieved here today.
On his instructions to the side at half-time…
We knew that if Johor scored the second goal, it could be really difficult to win, so I spoke about being focused. Sunil scored an incredible goal and we did well to score from two set pieces. We knew that we wouldn’t be able to play 90 minutes at the peak levels but we did a very good job to manage that and now we can focus on the final.
A word about his first experience at a packed Fortress…
The fans were part of it from the very beginning. Right from the first minute, they didn’t stop supporting the team. They played a big part in today’s victory. The club knew what to expect from the supporters but it was my first experience and I am really glad to see that we have such passionate fans. It really is a big boost to the team and I believe that with this bunch and their support, we can go anywhere with the confidence to win.
On Sunil Chhetri’s new position in attack…
What is important is that I knew Sunil could play in any position. His commitment has been massive. I said to him that he could score if he played down the middle and up front. It’s true that he can score even if he plays down the wing, but from the first day he took everything on board and that sets an example. He said he’ll do his best and we’ve seen it against Johor.
On his next move ahead of the big finale…
We have two weeks to prepare and as I said, it will be incredible if we win the title; for us, for the fans and for Indian football. The commitment of this team is massive but for now I think the players deserve a few days off, to come back with their batteries recharged and then we will shift focus to the big game.
