Packed gallery is not a concern for Altyn Asyr coach

Shubham Mandal: Carles Cuadrat’s revenge match! Are you thinking, why? Then you have to go back six long years ago. The year was 2018, Bengaluru FC lost both legs of the AFC Cup inter-zonal semi-final against Altyn Asyr. At that time their head coach was Carles Cuadrat. Only the team has changed this time. He is now the head coach of East Bengal. This time also in that AFC Cup, his opponent is Altyn Asyr. Also in 2018, Yazguly Hojageldyyew was the head coach of Altyn Asyr. And he is still in charge of the team.

After setting foot in Calcutta, Altyn Asyr had his first practice in Yuva Bharati on this day. Altyn Asyr head coach said a lot about the East Bengal team while giving an interview to Ray Sportz after the practice. Here is the conversation:

Q: There are no foreigners in the team. Is that a problem for you?

Hojageldyyew: Not having foreigners in the team is not a big deal. It has been in our team for a long time. The current footballers have been the asset of this team for the last few years. So we are not worried about this.

Q: Have you been playing the same team for the last few years?

Hojageldyyew: Most of the footballers in this team have been playing together for several years. So all footballers are well aware of their responsibilities.

Q: Do you have any idea about the East Bengal team?

Hojageldyyew: There are quite a few good foreigners in the East Bengal team. Not only that, they have got some good quality Indian footballers in their team this season. They have won their last two matches. We have already seen the video of that match. Footballers know that the match is going to be tough.

Q: Are you stressed when playing in front of a packed gallery?

Hojageldyyew: Not at all! This is not the first time we will be playing an AFC match in front of a packed gallery for the opposition. So I don’t think there will be any extra pressure on the boys.