Ivan Vukomanovic shares what he looks for while scouting a striker

The Kerala Blasters boss also shared what made him frustrated during the game.

Kerala Blasters defeated NorthEast United 2-0, courtesy a brace by striker Dimitrios Diamantakos to secure three points in their Indian Super League (ISL 2022-23) encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Sunday. Speaking in the post-match press conference, head coach Ivan Vukomanovic appreciated Diamantakos’ goal-scoring prowess as he also opened up on the need to manage leads better in games like these.

Here are the excerpts from the Serbian tactician’s media interaction.

On Diamantakos

“For a striker, it’s important to score goals. When they score goals, they get that confidence. Players like Dimi (Diamantakos) are big professionals. He has nice clubs on his CV. He has played for one of the best clubs in his home country and for some good clubs in Germany,” Vukomanovic started.

Kerala had a fantastic run to the ISL 2021-22 finale. Star forwards Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Alvaro Vazquez were instrumental in that campaign but both of them moved to other clubs (Mumbai City and FC Goa, respectively) since then. Ivan Vukomanovic believes that the club’s Greek recruit has filled that gaping hole to perfection.

“These kind of players bring extra quality. I'm glad to have them; even last season (like Alvaro Vazquez and Jorge Diaz) and this season, because they are hungry to succeed and score goals. When we are scouting, we look for these kind of profiles (like Diamantakos),” he added.

Game management

Diamantakos notched his two goals within a couple of minutes (42’, 44’). This helped the Blasters head into the half-time break beaming with confidence. The visitors came roaring back in the second-half but the home side were resilient enough to keep their clean sheet intact. Vukomanovic asserted that it was necessary to get a foot ahead in this game as not netting for a considerable period of time might have provided greater confidence to the NorthEast unit.

“There’s a mental aspect in how you have to manage these kind of games, and in these kind of games, if you don’t score quick enough, the opponent starts believing more. They get more power, more concentration and more time passes, you find yourself in trouble and have to push harder,” the 47-year-old said.

He added, “The more you have to open the game and then you can get punished at the back. In the first half, we wanted to push hard and create chances which we did. We created many chances to score more goals.”

Second-half concerns

The vociferous crowd in Kochi perhaps prompted the home team to further extend their lead in the second-half. However, they were unable to put the ball into the back of the net as their finishing was a bit erratic.

This led to the team losing its shape for a brief while, thus providing ample opportunities for the Highlanders to claw their way back in the proceedings. Ivan Vukomanovic was not pleased with the team’s endeavour in this front, indicating that they need to be more efficient to seal their authority in the game rather than trying to put on a goal-fest.

“The boys, in the second-half, wanted to push more and score the third goal and make the game over and manage it. However, we were not capable of scoring the third goal despite some chances. And then, we entered a nervous period where you try to have fun and do nice things which are not efficient. We lost balls in dangerous positions and invited counter-attacks. That made me frustrated, because as a coach I want (my players) to be efficient and get the job done,” he explained.

The mentor, however, was happy with the clean sheet, as this was only the fifth fixture in which Kerala Blasters didn’t concede a goal.

“The players need to manage the situations - get the game under control, get the ball under control, try to open the gaps and create chances. At the end, we are happy with a clean sheet because it has been a while. We’re back on the third spot and have five big steps to go,” Vukomanovic signed off.