‘The league is competitive, so nobody will give us anything’ : Kerala Blasters FC head coach
Kerala Blasters FC coach Ivan Vukomanovic demands his players not to get arrogant and stay positive as they gear up to face Mumbai City FC in match 62 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco da Gama on Sunday.
Kerala Blasters FC sit top of the table with 20 points in 11 games. Their only loss of the campaign came against ATK Mohun Bagan in the opening fixture of the season and are now closely followed by Jamshedpur FC, who have 19 points.
Kerala Blasters FC defeated Odisha FC 2-0 in their last match. Nishu Kumar and Harmanjot Singh Khabra were the two scorers for them.
Ahead of Kerala Blasters FC’s clash against Mumbai City FC, coach Vukomanovic and defender Enes Sipovic addressed the media during the official pre-match press conference.
Here are the excerpts from Vukomanovic’s press conference.
KBFC hasn’t trained in three days. What’s your opinion?
Well, it’s obviously not easy, seeing the circumstances not just for our club but so far I think nine clubs are in lockdown. Nobody is talking about football anymore because everyone is concerned. We have families here. So I just hope everybody stays safe. I have confidence in the ISL people. They have things under control. But of course it’s not easy.
Will it be a challenge for you to manage the expectations of fans and players?
You know as professional players, from my personal experience, I managed to win several titles. The moment you start to get relaxed and announce big words as a team then everything crumbles. Because as a team you have to stay focused and concentrated. You have to continue in the positive mindset. We know the league is competitive, so nobody will give us anything. So we have to fight.
What kind of changes have you observed in Mumbai City FC’s game after the first leg win over them?
We were pleased with the way we played that game and achieved three points. Since then we have been trying to modify our approach and style according to the situation. For tomorrow’s game, I can’t say anything. We didn’t prepare for the game and we’re not sure if the match will be played.
You spoke about the risk of injuries having not trained before the match, do you think it would be sensible to postpone the match?
I would like for us to continue to play. But this situation is worldwide, not just inside our bubble. I have confidence in ISL people. They will sort out everything like it has to be. Of course for footballers it’s not easy. When you don’t train, the risk of injury goes up. From a human being perspective, knowing that you can infect other people is a feeling that doesn’t give you confidence to play a match. We are grateful to federation people for taking care of us.
Here is the excerpt from Sipovic’s press conference.
KBFC lost the first game to ATK Mohun Bagan 4-2, how did the team bounce from it?
Behind this success there is a lot of hard work. We have been here together for almost five months and we knew what we were going to do from the beginning. After the first game we needed stability, the defenders helped provide that. From there on we started to build. Victories always bring more victories.