"We are lacking a bit in the final third; that is what we have to work hard upon" - Hyderabad FC coach Thangboi Singto after loss to Kerala Blasters
Hyderabad FC, as has been their wont throughout the Indian Super League this season, lost by a narrow 0-1 scoreline to Kerala Blasters for their fourth defeat of the campaign at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Saturday.
Milos Dricic gave the Kerala Blasters the lead late on in the first half, and the hosts made sure that they did not let any of Hyderabad's shots through on goal.
Hyderabad FC put 14 shots away today, three more than the Blasters, but none of them could pierce the home team's strong defense.
Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto, understandably frustrated by the lack of concrete results on hand, unerringly seemed to accept the result rather calmly while speaking to the media after the game.
Singto said:
"We are not losing by big margins. All the matches that we have lost so far have been through narrow margins. We are doing well overall but could not quite finish games off. I think we are lacking a bit in the final third and that is what we have to work hard upon. It is a missing piece of the puzzle. We know that we are lacking that bit of effort in the final third and hopefully, we will get it soon."
He added:
"Look, there are going to be spaces in defence when you play with three men at the back, but we need to adapt accordingly. We knew that our midfielders would be able to close the gaps in quite comfortably and to a great extent they were successful."
"We had more possession than Kerala Blasters today but football is not won through such stats" - Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto
Singto was assailed with questions about his team's lack of creativity and effort in the final third and how it is letting them down time and again.
Although Jonathan Moya and Joe Knowles seemed to put a lot of shots away, they had precious little support from the others.
Mohammad Yasir seemed to be a shadow of his former self, whereas young striker Aaren D'Silva sat on the bench for the entire game.
Singto continued:
"Yes, we are lacking a bit in the final third but all of us in the coaching staff could not be prouder of the boys today. They gave it their all and it is unfortunate that we could not end up on the winning side."
The Hyderabad FC head coach signed off:
"We know what we are missing out on and will work hard in training about that. Yes, we had more possession than Kerala Blasters today but football is not won through such stats. It is won by the team that has scored more goals, and unfortunately, we did not do that today."