Des Buckingham seeks perfect balance in team ahead of Kerala Blasters match

The Islanders will face a stern test against last year’s runners-up.

Mumbai City FC has to deliver on huge expectations this year. The winners of the ISL Shield and Trophy in 2020-21 will be playing Kerala Blasters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi on Friday. Des Buckingham's side are yet to taste defeat this year, with a win and two draws from the first two matches.

Buckingham’s men will aim to secure a second win of the season against Kerala Blasters that lost their previous game by 2-1 against Odisha FC. The tactician took part in a media interaction ahead of the fixture against the Yellow Army and gave his opinions on the start of the season and more.

Here are the excerpts from the press conference where Buckingham was also joined by Vikram Pratap Singh:

Start to the season

Des Buckingham believes that there is a need to find extra gear in terms of performance despite a positive start. While talking about the start of the season, he said, “We have played last year’s champions in Hyderabad and last year’s league winners in Jamshedpur. So to come away from three games unbeaten and to come away with a clean-sheet in the game against Odisha that we won, it puts us in a good position to start with and I am happy with it.

"Obviously, we want more and we will do everything we can to try and continue to push for more. In terms of the start to the season, it is one I am happy with.”

Need to continue

The tactician also talked about the need to continue in the same direction as they have done in the past. He said, “We know the qualities that Kerala have. We need to be on top of our game to stop that. But we also need to continue to play the football that we have done, not just in the last three games but throughout the Durand Cup and going as far back as the Champions League as well. If we do that, we will be as prepared as we can. We are expecting a very good game tomorrow.”

Search for the balance

Last year, conceding goals was a problem for Mumbai City FC. The boss believes that a balance must be found this year by saying, “If we want to be successful this year, we need to concede fewer goals than last season. We have also got players that can score more than we did last year. If we can find that balance which at the moment I am starting to see real signs that we can and we have, make sure we continue scoring and playing the style that we want.

“We now have got a second foreign centre back in Rostyn Griffiths that we have brought that we did not have last year,” he further added.

Jorge Pereyra Diaz' return

Jorge Pereyra Diaz was sensational in the ISL when he was playing for Kerala Blasters last season. He will be representing Mumbai City this year after signing for them in the summer window. While talking about the prospect of Diaz playing against his former side, Des Buckingham said, “He is a wonderful player, you saw that for Kerala last year. He has fitted in extremely well with the other foreign players we have. We started him in the first game against Hyderabad.

He picked up an injury in the Durand Cup which unfortunately kept him out of the knockout stages of that competition. Diaz is fit and he is ready to play, the same as everyone else who has travelled with us,” the boss said, confirming the availability of the full squad at his disposal.

Praise for Gurkirat Singh

Gurkirat Singh is one of the upcoming talents of Indian football and the manager praised him during the media interaction. “He is a player that has worked extremely hard. He is trying to understand how we want to play and he has developed in the 12 months I have been here.”

“The amount of work he has put in on and off the field has been significant. He has got a lot of game time up until this point. I think he has played 415 minutes worth of game time that includes making his debut and becoming the youngest Indian in the Champions League,” Des Buckingham continued, suggesting that young players will get enough opportunities to prove themselves.