ISL: Gerard Zaragoza faces first test as Bengaluru FC boss against Jamshedpur FC

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 15 (ANI): Bengaluru FC will step into a new chapter of the club as Gerard Zaragoza returns to the outfit in the capacity of head coach with his opening fixture against Jamshedpur FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 on Saturday.
With one victory in 10 games, the Blues have been struggling to get going this season. The campaign started off briskly, but it began faltering gradually, especially after the international break. A morale-crushing 4-0 defeat to Mumbai City FC led to the departure of Simon Grayson and the arrival of Zaragoza.
Zaragoza was part of the coaching setup that steered the Blues to their ISL title-winning run in 2018-19. Amidst a different tactical pattern, it seemed like they had lost the touch that distinguished them from other teams in the country.
Jamshedpur FC, on the other hand, is finding their identity under Scott Cooper. Their worries moving forward aside, the club is in a desperate need to secure a succession of wins to make something out of this season. They have lost five of their first nine games, and they now come across Bengaluru FC who themselves are in the process of overcoming similar challenges. It is a match of teams embracing difficulties that are alike at the moment, and who manages to oust whom will go a long way in determining their success, a release said.
Bengaluru FC have a lot of corrections to do. They appeared to be slightly off-colour in their 2-0 loss to Chennaiyin FC, giving away two penalties that led to the Marina Machans bagging three important points at home. They garnered significant support at home despite the crushing loss to the Islanders, and hence can be rest assured that such warm backing will continue irrespective of the results at home.
The Blues have a responsibility to reciprocate to the fans that shower unconditional love and support towards them. Impressively, they have been unbeaten in their last four games against the Red Miners, and a victory here will take them to most games on a stretch without facing a defeat against any single club in competition history.
Jamshedpur FC need to unleash greater attacking prowess, take the game to the opposition and shed any inhibitions to play fearlessly. At times, they seem too guarded and that perhaps takes the charisma out of their offensive unit. Individually, the likes of Rei Tachikawa, Jeremy Monzorro, Alen Stevanovic, and Daniel Chima Chukwu appear to be fantastic players, but somehow they have not clicked collectively yet.
They are winless in their last six games, which includes four losses, and that has hit their ability to make progressive moves higher up in the standings. The last time the Red Miners lost more away games on the trot was a stretch of five games between November 2022-January 2023, and they have a chance to make amends on that front against a fairly struggling Bengaluru FC unit. (ANI)