Kerala Blasters FC are third in the points table with 20 points from 12 games while NorthEast United FC are languishing at the bottom with just 10 points from 15 matches.
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Kerala Blasters FC head coach wants his team to “fight till the end” as his side will play seven games in the upcoming 30 days. The Serbian was speaking to the media during the official pre-match press conference ahead of the Indian Super League (ISL) fixture against NorthEast United FC at the Tilak Maidan on Friday. When the two teams clashed earlier this season, the match ended in a goalless draw. However, there has been an impressive improvement in KBFC since then, having climbed to the third spot in the points table, while NEUFC have slipped to the bottom with just 10 points from 15 games. A resurgent Bengaluru FC ended KBFC’s 10-match unbeaten run with a 1-0 win in the last match.
The Coach Speaks! ?️@ivanvuko19 #YennumYellow #KBFC #കേരളബ്ലാസ്റ്റേഴ്സ് pic.twitter.com/zAFWASOIIV
— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) February 4, 2022
The match against Bengaluru FC on 30th January was KBFC’s first in two weeks after a COVID-19 outbreak in the squad. The team went through a tough period, not being able to train and weren’t at their best against BFC.
When asked about the fans, who have backed the Yellow Army during the tough period, head coach Vukomanovic said “I think they have been amazing from the start, supporting us. We have wanted to build a strong mentality and identity that would never leave the players from the start of the season. It doesn’t matter if you’re leading or losing a game, we will fight till the end. We have an obligation to this shirt. That’s the kind of feeling we have adopted and we want to keep it.”
Prior to the BFC game, Vukomanovic said that he might not have enough players for a football match but ended up fielding more-or-less his best starting eleven, when asked about that, the Serbian tactician said “Many players started training two days before the game. When you go out of the room after 15 days you don’t know how the body will respond. We want to take care of the players from our side. We don’t want to take any risks.”
KBFC saw two of their games postponed because of the Coronavirus infection and now they are going to play seven matches in 30 days. When asked about his thoughts on the hectic schedule ahead, the head coach said: “It will not be an issue only for us. I think it’s the same for every team. Muscle injuries are bad at this time of the season. We need to look after the players. Most probably we will rotate them at some stage. That’s the way it is. We want to avoid injury as much as possible in February.”
Blasters are currently on 20 points from 12 games, six points behind leaders Hyderabad FC, with two games in hand, therefore, Vukomanovic would be hoping to win a couple of games in the upcoming fixtures and return to the summit of the standings.
