Oscar Bruzon took over as East Bengal coach mid-season in 2024, and believes football is less about systems and more about relationships between players and with the coach. | Photo Credit: East Bengal Media

At full-time in Chennai, Oscar Bruzon barely showed any expression of joy. He clenched his fist, glanced at his watch and took a deep breath of relief. His team, Emami East Bengal, had just beaten two-time ISL champion Chennaiyin FC 3-1.

In 2024, when he took charge, East Bengal had six wins in its previous 20 games. After this victory, that number stands at 12. The Red-and-Gold Brigade, which had never finished in the top half of the Indian Super League, is now fourth on the table.

The man driving this transformation is Bruzon, a serious-looking figure who keeps his tactics close to his chest and bristles when the press probes too deeply into the dressing room.

“This is what my family, my father, especially asked me many times. When we win, I am relieved. When we lose, I’m already looking for the next game to come as soon as possible to rectify our problems,” Bruzon tells Sportstar after the game.

“In football, you need to control your emotions. Every five to seven days, you have a game. So, there is no time for being happy.”

From player to tactician

Bruzon’s caution stems from his formative years. The Spaniard began as a winger, marauding along the flanks and contributing in the final third before an injury pushed him deeper into midfield.

The flair of offence gave way to a quieter, more authoritative role in front of the backline as a defensive midfielder.

It was here that Bruzon, the manager, took shape, much like several defensive midfielders-turned-managers such as Xabi Alonso, Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone.

“You are always watching the game from the back; you need leadership and energy. I can give you the example of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. He is not the best playmaker, not the fastest player, not the strongest, not the best in duels, but he’s the best at reading the situation,” Bruzon says.

Handling situations, and at times turning the tide, has been the central challenge wherever Bruzon has coached.

In the Maldives, he helped New Radiant win the domestic treble after three years and then turned Bashundhara Kings into a serial champion in Bangladesh, breaking the long-standing dominance of Abahani Dhaka.

East Bengal proved no different.

“When I came here, probably, the team was a bit imbalanced. We had injuries at the start of the season, and the confidence level of players was very low,” Bruzon says.

Bruzon’s first game as East Bengal coach saw him arrive the night before the Kolkata derby and watch his side lose to Mohun Bagan Super Giant. A defeat to Odisha followed.

“It’s not easy for a coach to be accepted when they were kind of supporting the former coach, a high-profile manager who did very good things in India. Even all the coaching staff were on his side. Many of the players were chosen by him. So for me, it was not easy,” he adds.

Building belief through chemistry

His first foothold came in the AFC Challenge League, a 2-2 draw against FC Paro of Bhutan that he describes as “the first big moment of help”.

East Bengal then lost just once in its next 10 matches.

“The team started to understand that there was a way forward. We got a good result there, and from there, things got easier,” he says.

For Bruzon, football extends beyond structure to relationships.

“In India, people like to talk a lot about formations and systems; it seems that without them, you can’t win games. I’m radically against this idea because a formation or system is only a reference for players to know where they need to be, to adjust,” he says.

“My approach to football is about relationships between players rather than systems. In one game, we can use five or six different setups, and that depends on the players on the pitch.

“Depending on their chemistry, their movement and what we need to do in that particular moment, we use one shape or another. Our defensive organisation is not the same as our attacking one,” he adds.

That cohesion is evident in the way the team dines, jokes and stays connected off the pitch. Bruzon, whose stern presence is visible on the touchline, moves between tables more like a father than a coach after matches.

“A coach, at times, has to be a psychologist. We have four players who were out with suspensions or injuries (for the match against Chennaiyin). I don’t want to mention the names, but when players do badly, they need love and confidence,” he says.

“We put a lot of effort into making our players feel like a team. Many people say, ‘We are a family.’ But it’s not a word, it’s an attitude. One of the things that we do is make a lot of rotations, giving a chance to everybody. When you have a full squad connected to the game, you can get the best from everyone.”

What is Bruzon ball?

Football, at its core, demands a philosophy. And for Bruzon, that was evident at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Saturday: fluid structures, one-touch passing and clinical finishing.

“Possession-based football is a consequence of hard work, team chemistry and players understanding that we want to dominate matches. Last year, I could not implement this kind of idea,” Bruzon explains.

“We were using the system 4-4-2, only three lines, waiting more in the centre of the park with a mid-block, trying to win the ball and launch quicker counterattacks. This year, we wanted to be dominant and build from the back, and we have excellent players (for that), Anwar (Ali), Jeakson (Singh) and Kevin (Sibille), players who understand build-ups.”

In midfield, there is a balance between physical presence, like (Mohammad) Rashid, and Saúl (Crespo), who operates as a playmaker. Up front, the side has the flexibility to link play and form quick connections in tight spaces.

The result: East Bengal has scored the most goals in the league so far, including a 7-0 rout of Mohammedan Sporting, and has not lost a Kolkata derby in regulation time this season.

“East Bengal has a rich history of challenging for titles. So, we needed to step back from the previous seasons where things were not working. Today, fans of East Bengal are proud, at least, of the model that we are trying to use,” Bruzon adds.

But the Spaniard is careful not to get ahead of himself.

“I would like to be in the top six. Things are going well. Maybe we need to be more ambitious, and I understand that our fans don’t like to hear that this is not the title fight,” Bruzon says.

“I am not going to talk about that because I know where we have come from. We are just in the middle of the process. There is room for improvement.”

The Red-and-Gold Brigade returns home to host Bengaluru FC on Thursday, a team it failed to beat in both meetings in the ISL last season. But Bruzon believes his side has the momentum to continue its run.

“We are going to compete with every club in India, trying to finish in the top positions. Let’s say that we are on the way to bring back those golden days of East Bengal,” Bruzon says with a smile.

He rolls his closed fist to look at his watch once more, this time at the team hotel, before heading off to rest, prepare and perhaps give East Bengal fans another reason to celebrate.

Published on Apr 16, 2026