TG Purushothaman emphasizes the importance of being clinical in front of goal as Kerala Blasters fall to Mohun Bagan SG.

Kerala Blasters playoff hopes are in jeopardy after a crushing defeat.

TG Purushothaman’s Kerala Blasters had a disappointing night in Kochi, suffering a 3-0 defeat against Mohun Bagan SG, marking a significant blow to their playoff hopes in the Indian Super League (ISL). Their interim coach, TG Purushothaman, reflects on the defeat and discusses their chances in the league moving forward.

The Blasters were evidently the better team with the ball, controlling possession, pressing high up front, and creating scoring chances; all of which led to nothing. Purushothaman, providing clarity on their issues in attack, said, “What we created was not converted into goals, and that’s the problem we face. It happens sometimes when we try to win the match. It’s not a defensive mistake or lapse. We take responsibility for that, and we will hopefully come back very strong in the next matches.”

On the loss against Mohun Bagan SG

All three goals scored by Mohun Bagan came against the run of play. The head coach, addressing their struggles in dealing with Bagan’s counterattacks, stated, “As I have said before, we didn’t convert the chances we created. When we miss chances, the opponents gain more energy to come up and score. They have quality players to finish it off like that. So, congratulations to Mohun Bagan for playing counter-attacking football and keeping up with it.”

The Tuskers saw a serious drop in their tempo after Jamie Maclaren’s brace gave the Mariners a very strong finish to the first half. TG Purushothaman, on his side not being able to keep up the intensity in the second half, commented, “It’s not about intensity or high pressing. It’s all about football; keeping possession, playing in the opponent’s half, creating more chances, and converting them. When the conversions don’t happen, confidence can drop. Sometimes, these ups and downs happen in football.”

On ISL 2024-25 playoff hopes

With four more games left in the season, it is a tough road for the Blasters to secure a playoff finish. TG Purushothaman, optimistic about their chances, said, “We will study all our mistakes. We have to come back very strong for the next matches. We are playing some heavy fixtures. Hopefully, we will analyse all the mistakes from this match and try to avoid them in the next ones.”

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