Bengaluru FC seek fresh start under Zaragoza

Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC will look to press the reset button under newly-appointed head coach Gerard Zaragoza, and to end their seven-match winless run this season when they take on Jamshedpur FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday.

Both BFC and Jamshedpur FC find themselves firmly in the bottom half, and will vie to take strides up the table. Zaragoza remains optimistic and plans to take things step-by-step.

The Spaniard addressed the media during a press conference with captain Sunil Chhetri on Thursday.

"I'm so happy to be back. This is a club that has been in my heart since 2018. It's about going game by game, three points by three points. We've seen what happened with BFC last year. We need the heart of our supporters, and we will change this," Zaragoza admitted.

While the season has been of a stop-start nature, with lengthy international breaks owing to the AFC Asian Cup, the Spaniard outlined his plans for a rescue act by strengthening the players' mentality first and reinstilling the club's identity.

"Everything is a challenge. We have training this afternoon, and we're thinking only about tomorrow. Not about January or the Super Cup. Football is maybe third or fourth on the list of things to do. We need to help these players recover first, not only as players but also as people. We need to rediscover our BFC style."

Zaragoza stayed true to his roots when asked about the kind of football his team will deliver, and stressed upon the need to dominate games. "I'm Catalan. We like the offensive style of football, but it's about momentum. Right now we need to be organised," the coach revealed.

"I like to play with three in the middle, but sometimes we attack with three at the back, and sometimes, it will be with one striker and three or four arriving. We need to dominate the games," Zaragoza added.

Sunil Chhetri provided a frank assessment for his team's short-comings. "It hurts to see where we are, and we are responsible for it. The best part is that only we can rectify it. We'll do all we can to make sure that happens and we want to bring the fight. The only reason we haven't got the wins, is because we haven't played to the best of our abilities," the captain said.