Kerala Blasters FC head coach applauds team's character ahead of ISL clash against Odisha FC
Kerala Blasters FC will be hosted by Odisha FC in match no. 58 of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco. The Yellow Tuskers have had a brilliant run since their win against Mumbai City FC.
Head coach Ivan Vukomanovic and defender Nishu Kumar attended the virtual press conference ahead of their ISL clash against Odisha FC. The Yellow Tuskers head coach reflected on how things have turned around at the Kerala Blasters FC camp. He said:
"Since we started, we've always believed that we have the quality to beat anybody. So even now if you look at not only our team but we look at all the games and all the teams in this league. We’ve seen so far that many times the favorites cannot win easy games, cannot take points in the so-called easy games and we've shown that anybody can win against anybody because it is clear things are possible."
He added:
"We always believed that we could build up a nice momentum with a good atmosphere. I think that we have a good team with good personalities"
He added that he does not want to complain about the disparity in the schedule that allows different teams different amounts of recovery periods. Vukomanovic feels that in a league that is organized in a short span, it is difficult to maintain uniform recovery time for all teams at all times.
Kerala Blasters FC will miss captain Jessel Carneiro
The Kerala Blasters FC captain suffered an injury to his shoulder in the side's last match against Hyderabad FC. Along with him, full-back Harmanjot Khabra also picked up a knock against the Nizams. Head coach Ivan Vukomanovic clarified the player's status. He said:
"Other than Jessel there is nothing. Khabra recovered well yesterday. He will be available for a training session and of course today after the training we will decide about our lineup for a for tomorrow’s game. He is available like everybody else. Jessel is out because of a shoulder injury."
Ivan Vukomanovic stated that he has not made a decision on the team's leadership in the absence of Jessel. However, he added that he has a possible candidate for the role, which he did not wish to disclose.