ISL 2023-24: We will start again from scratch – NorthEast United FC’s Juan Pedro Benali after loss against Mumbai City FC

NorthEast United FC head coach Juan Pedro Benali shared his disappointment after his team suffered a 1-4 loss against Mumbai City FC in the 19th match week of the ongoing Indian Super League at the Mumbai Football Arena on Tuesday.

Vikram Partap Singh scored a fine hat-trick for the Islanders, including a brace in the first 10 minutes of the game to put the visitors under pressure. Van Nieff also scored through a penalty for the home team whereas Madathil Subran scored a consolation goal for the visitors.

The tourists had 42.2% possession and took only two shots on target as they were thoroughly dominated by the opposition.

“When you play against a team with such quality and you do the mistakes in the first minutes, like we did, and when you concede, you start rowing against the current. I mean, and certainly, just at the moment we come back in the game and start playing, we just switch off very quick. We lose the ball very easy in the middle of the field and every player wants to do everything and not what is his job. We conceded against good players from Mumbai City FC,” stated Benali in the post-match press conference.

NorthEast United were not at their best defensively and thus had to pay the price against Mumbai City.

Reflecting back at the loss, especially the goals, the Spaniard shared, “If you go back to the first goal. Minute two. Lack of concentration. No marking. Not looking on the backside. What is coming? Goal! Second goal. Photocopy of the first goal. Then the third goal, take the ball in the middle, try to dribble, lose the ball, penalty. Do you think its (giving) lot of respect (for the opposition), its the contrary. It was too easy (for Mumbai City FC), making things we should not do.”

“Also we’re missing a lot of players for the game today. Quality players and that makes the difference,” he added.

NorthEast United FC has managed only four wins in 19 matches and they are currently in ninth place in the standings. Thus, their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs are hanging by a thin thread.

On being asked whether the pressure of making it through to the playoffs is getting to the players, Benali replied, “I tell you the truth, we have no pressure at all. We go to game by game. You know, I mean we have you see today the medium age of our team is a lot of very young players, players with no experience, in the ISL, most of them.”

NorthEast United FC will next take on Kerala Blasters FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati on April 6.