Calcutta: East Bengal coach Eelco Schattorie was a satisfied man after the city giants thrashed Balestier Khalsa of Singapore 3-0 in a group F AFC Cup match, on Tuesday.
"I am extremely happy with the win and proud of my boys," said Schattorie.
However, the coach was quick to add that his team was still a long way off from where they should be, especially in terms of fitness. "I am not being critical of the boys. I know they work extremely hard. But it is a fact that they have to improve their fitness level. I am still not happy with that.
"Specially in the second half, it was evident that they were unable to give their 100 per cent. Subodh (Kumar) and Sukhi (Sukhwinder Singh) were getting cramps," he said.
Asked if he was happy with the show that his "reserve" team had put up on Tuesday, he replied in the affirmative. "Yes, they did play very well, but then they really have to improve a lot to make it to the regular team, especially in terms of fitness," he said.
The coach, however, did not seem very enthusiastic about their chances in the AFC Cup. "Yes, we still have a slim chance to make it to the round of 16, but for that we have to win both our remaining matches. We have to play the top two teams of the group and it will not be easy," he said.
The coach iterated that his focus was still on the I-League. "The I-League is still more important for us. It will be good if we advance in the AFC Cup, but I am still more focused on the I-League."
After the rather easy win on Tuesday, does it rankle that they had lost to the Singapore side in the away tie? "It would have been good had we won, but I am not thinking of that. It is a process of building up the team. I had just taken charge and I know why we lost. You have to settle down and look at long term dividends."
Asked why he still brought in Dudu and Ranty Martins, even when his team was ahead and was dominating the match, the coach said: "In the second half the players were looking tired. I had to bring in fresh pair of legs. Otherwise the team would have struggled."
Asked about the young Baldeep Singh, he said: "I know Baldeep from my United SC days. He is a very dynamic and strong player. The goal he scored today was an extremely good goal."
The coach added that Arnab Mondal's injury did not look very serious and hoped he would be back in action soon. Arnab got injured during the match and had to be replaced in the 40th minute with Milan Susak.
The Most Valuable Player of the match, Baldeep, thanked Eelco for believing in him and giving him the opportunity to play on Tuesday. With Dudu and Ranty in the line-up, this was only the second time that Baldeep got to play this season. "I am working hard and I got a good goal today. The rest is up to the coach," he said, when asked whether he was ready to be in the regular team.
Meanwhile, East Bengal have informed the AFC that their next Cup match against Malaysia's Johor Darul Tazim, on April 28, will be played without any spectators at the ground. On Monday, the club announced that due to the election dates clashing with the matches, it has been left with no option but to stage their two I-League matches and the AFC Cup game without sale of tickets at the Salt Lake Stadium.
