We can do better in offence: Kerala Blasters asst. coach Frank Dauwen

Kerala Blasters assistant coach Frank Dauwen shared an update on the availability of players.

Kerala Blasters are looking to secure their second successive win in the Indian Super League 2023-24 season as Jamshedpur FC come knocking. Both teams are set to clash at the JLN Stadium in Kochi on Sunday with contrasting results in their last matches, respectively.

The Yellow Army won their opening day encounter against the Blues while the Men of Steel played a goalless draw with the Red & Gold Brigade. KBFC’s Assistant Coach, Frank Dauwen, was pleased with Sachin Suresh and the rest of the squad in their win against BFC. He spoke to the media and was joined by skipper Adrian Luna ahead of the crucial game against JFC.

Here are the excerpts from the conversation:

Frank Dauwen on team news

Frank Dauwen gave an insight into players' fitness and who could make it into the line-up against JFC in the upcoming game. He said, “Dimi (Diamantakos) is in the squad, except Ishan (Pandita) and Saurav (Mandal) who are still injured. We have a choice of 22 players and we will see tomorrow. Rahul KP was away with the national team and I think they landed at 8 o'clock, so there is no possibility for him to be in the squad and this is also true for Bryce Miranda.”  

Happy with Sachin Suresh

Talking about Sachin Suresh, the goalkeeper who gave a good account of himself against BFC in the previous fixture, Dauwen said, “I think he did a good job. Don’t forget that it was his first game in the ISL and that too against Bengaluru FC. The team performed well, especially in defence. I think he and the team did a good job, so I only have positive things (to say).”

He also presented his opinion on new foreign additions Kwame Peprah and Daisuke Sakai as they made their debut against the Blues. “Those two players are new in the squad, came later and missed four weeks of preparation. They joined the team in Dubai but they did a good job. However, we can do better in offence,” he said.

Adrian Luna on expectations from the upcoming game

Adrian Luna, the club captain, expects his team to secure three points and understands it will be a difficult task. He said, “My expectation from the game is to win. I want to win every game but tomorrow is going to be a difficult game like always. I think they are going to play with five at the back and four in the middle so it will be a difficult block to break. But if we are good enough, we are going to do it and win. It is not going to be easy and we have to work hard to win this game.”

Playing in a forward role

Adrian Luna can be seen playing almost as a forward on many occasions. Upon being asked if it is a conscious decision by the club, the skipper said, “I am always happy to be on the pitch, helping the team. I don’t care much about my position. I try to do my best on the pitch and of course, it is nice to be up front and score goals.”