East Bengal have their weaknesses: Bencherifa

[1]

For Karim Bencherifa, the derby against East Bengal will be the most defining match in his second as coach stint with Mohun Bagan.

Bagan have been laid low with a spate of injuries to key players in this season’s I-League, but Bencherifa was confident that his wards would come up with a spirited show.
A day ahead of the Kolkata derby, Bencherifa spoke about the significance of the match, East Bengal’s form, injuries of his players, the fans and a lot more. Excerpts:

Is the second stint in Mohun Bagan tougher than the first?
Surely! The expectations stay high and the timing makes it all the more significant. But I prefer to look ahead and hope things will work out well. I am comfortable with such challenges.

How have preparations been ahead of the match? It has been going well although it has been hampered by injuries to many of my key players. I’m happy that some of them did join training on Friday. The body language seems to be positive and all of us are looking forward to the match.

Is the list of injuries a concern?
That has been the concern since I took over. But we are trying hard to get the players fit and back to the squad.

You came back from two goals down to level 2-2 against Pune FC. Does it make you more confident? I salute the fighting spirit that the players have shown in all three matches that I have been in charge — especially against Dempo where we played with 10 men in the second half.

On East Bengal’s form: We all know that East Bengal are a stable team. The fact that they have the same coach and players for almost three years has helped them a great deal. They are unbeaten for several games and have plenty of options in each position.
But they have their weaknesses as well. Mohun Bagan haven’t peaked as yet and we can get only better. The derby is a match where team standing doesn’t matter. It’s all about that day.