Even as the Bengal side left for Jamalpur, Bihar, today to take part in the under-21 national football tournament, coach Raghu Nandy sounded apprehensive about his team's chances in the final round. Clubbed in Group B along with Mizoram, Kerala and Services, Bengal have a tough job at hand to qualify for the semi-finals and Nandy blamed the uncertainty on the team's lack of preparation.
Talking to Newsline on the eve of the team's departure, Nandy said: "We are in the tougher of the two groups as all three teams are strong. But even then, I would have been confident of making the semi-finals had I got a little more time with the boys. I got just 13 days out of which the first week was spent in trials. In all, the boys practised for no more than five to six days. That's not enough time to forge cohesion in the side. Moreover, we've not had any match practice, unlike the other teams in our group who have had a lot more time to prepare. That is a major cause for concern."
