Bengaluru FC coach Zaragoza questions Sunil Chhetri playing out of position for India

Bengaluru FC (BFC) head coach Gerard Zaragoza criticized the Indian national team coaches for playing Sunil Chhetri out of position, claiming that the striker is more of a poacher than a centre-forward.

«In my head it’s clear: Sunil Chhetri scored 14 goals in the ISL (Indian Super League) last season, 14! Can anyone here tell me if he scored any of these goals as a first striker (No. 9)?» Zaragoza told reporters.

Chhetri came out of international retirement in March 2025 after an impressive domestic season in which he scored 17 goals and assisted a further four in 34 matches for Bengaluru, prompting a call-up from Manolo Marquez, the then Indian coach.

Although he scored against the Maldives in an international friendly, he failed to find the net for the Blue Tigers in competitive matches, with India eliminated from the 2027 AFC Asian Cup race after a 1–2 defeat to Singapore.

Under Khalid Jamil, the current national team coach, and previously under Manolo, Chhetri has started as number 9, flanked by two wingers.

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«Did he play as a first striker for BFC last season? Is Sunil Chhetri a striker? I ask this because he is going to the national team and you have appointed him as the only striker. Then he cannot do his job,» Zaragoza said.

At Bengaluru last season, Chhetri’s main role was as an inverted winger, making the most of his positioning and understanding of space in the box to get his goals. Perhaps it was this skill that saw him score six of his fourteen ISL goals (nearly half) via headers, despite being 170cm tall.

Meanwhile, Edgar Mendez or Jorge Pereyra Diaz played the No. 9 role.

«Sunil is too intelligent. He is always there, waiting for the ball where he needs it, and the others have to do their job. The good thing about BFC is that the players understand that, and they have understood that in the past,» Zaragoza said.

Bengaluru opens its Super Cup campaign against Mohammedan Sporting at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday. And Zaragoa claimed that India’s record goalscorer continues to believe in his plans on his own merits and backs him to do well in the Super Cup.

«We are too happy with Sunil. Whether he plays 90 or 20 minutes, he tries to be the best in every training. The young people look up to him a lot. That is the most important thing,» Zaragoza said.

«I think he is ready. Last season he had a complete pre-season, but because of duties with the national team and all that, he couldn’t do the whole pre-season (this time). But he, like the other players, is ready to play the Super Cup and try to help the team,» he added.

Published on October 30, 2025