Eelco Schattorie: Sahal is an intuitive footballer, he is a great player

The Dutchman threw light on his side's positives on the night despite the loss.

Kerala Blasters recorded back-to-back wins for the first time this season in the Indian Super League (ISL), defeating a red-hot ATK side 0-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on Sunday. A solitary goal from winger Holicharan Narzary in the 70th minute sealed the deal for Eelco Schattorie and Co., who managed to complete the double over ATK. However, there was some late drama in the game, as some violent conduct from ATK boss Antonio Habas saw the Spaniard sent off before the final whistle. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Eelco Schattorie gave a short, but effective response on the allegations of the provoking of the tussle from the ATK side. He said, “From the first minute to the last minute, they were abusing me in Spanish. That’s all I want to say.” The Dutch tactician was glad to get three points after explaining how hard a day it was for his side even before the game started. He stated, “First of all, the situation that we are in, before the game started, I lost (Gianni) Zuiverloon. It was very difficult. I heard many comments from teams who are losing one or two players." “But, I’ve been dealing with this through the whole season. The tactics I applied weren’t well executed. But, defensively we were solid. I think we frustrated them. We got a good goal and could’ve had another one. But, to be honest, its great to get three points at this stage," he added. Schattorie refused to reveal any particular weaknesses of ATK that he tried to expose, instead stating how his preferred tactics didn’t work, but hailed his defensive organization for the result. He said, “I have a tactical plan for every game. The players need to execute that. One thing is very good, that the fighting spirit was there to bring the three points. I like to dominate games, but that wasn’t the case. However, defensively we were very organized and that helped us.” [KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] The Blasters' head coach also hailed match-winner Narzary for recovering from his early-season blues and stated his happiness for him getting on the scoresheet. He expressed, “I remember the first two games of the season when Narzary struggled on the wings. Part of that was to do with getting into a rhythm. But, I’m very happy for him to get the goal. Sometimes, you need to get over the frustration and when you score, that always helps.” Eelco Schattorie further insisted that Sahal Abdul Samad, or any other youngster in his side must remain patient and they’ll improve under him. “I’m 100% sure that if our team adapts to my style, he’ll get better. He is improving and he is working very hard. He understands a bit better of what I want from him. It’s the same case for Jeakson (Singh), who didn’t play. Young talents need to be patient. I have a good track record of working with youngsters and think that’ll help him.” “Sahal is an intuitive footballer. He does everything on intuition. He understands the game defensively and offensively. I have nothing against Sahal. I think he’s a great player. But, I’ve been in coaching for 25 years and I know what it takes to bring a player up," he further explained. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] Finally, Eelco Schattorie praised how his inexperienced, young defenders handled themselves and underscored their growth this season. He said, “On the left, we had Jessel (Carneiro). He played the GPL last year and has made a big step into the ISL. He’s improved a lot in the ISL. (Abdul) Hakku played two games earlier this season, but he’s someone who does fantastic 80% and makes mistakes in 20%." "I want more from him on the ball, but defensively he did his job on Krishna. Rakip is still very young. He has the passion and love to bite into his opponent and that showed. These players need to grow on working with the ball, but it takes time."