CHENNAI: It's been a week to the day since Bengaluru FC created history and got through to the final of the AFC Cup. The dust at the Kanteerava is still settling and the accolades have not died down yet. But Bengaluru coach Albert Roca has moved past all that.
He has November 5 in his sights and very little else. “What we achieved was special but that’s done now,” the Spaniard told Express. And that's a fact the 54-year-old, who has worked under Frank Rijkaard at FC Barcelona, knows too well.
“Football has taught us well enough to not rest on our laurels. We have a chance to script an even bigger chapter in Indian football history. So while we treasure what we have achieved, we need to keep it aside for a while and focus on the bigger picture. We’ve resumed training and everyone’s working towards just one thing – the final in Doha.”
The final against Iraqi Air Force Club is no ordinary game — no Indian club has arguably played a more significant fixture in independent India. But while Roca recognises the fact that this won't be any other game, he is keen to stress that there is no additional pressure. “It isn’t a usual game but one thing is for sure is that we won’t be stepping on that pitch with any sort of burden or pressure,” Roca said. “The team had a three-day holiday which they all deserved and we regrouped on Sunday to work for the final. I’ve always told the boys to be brave at all times.
That will not change.” In many ways, Air Force Club (or Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya as they are known) is a bit of a wild card, certainly compared to defending champions and Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta'zim that Bengaluru beat back in the semifinals. The Iraqi club are one of the biggest names in the country to never have won an Asian honour.
This will be an added motivation for them in the final. “The fact that they have made the final says all you need to know about how good they are,” Roca said of the opponents. “They are an established team from Iraq and have more than just a few players who can swing a result. But we are preparing for the challenge. We have backed ourselves all through and it has got us here.” But how do you prepare for one of Indian football's biggest nights?
Do you make it about your opponents, who are stronger at least in theory, or do you just do what has worked for you so far? “We land (in Doha) on November 2,” Roca said. “Surely, the staff have been working on the way our opponents take the pitch but the focus, like always, will be about our strengths.”