Need time to adapt, says Blasters boss Kibu Vicuna after NorthEast draw

The tactician also revealed that Sahal Abdul Samad was not picked because of lack of fitness.

Late drama at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim, Goa on Thursday ensured that NorthEast United completed a brilliant turnaround against Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League (ISL). The Blasters had taken a 2-0 lead at half-time, however, the Highlanders scored twice in the second half to share the spoils. Following the game, Kerala Blasters head coach Kibu Vicuna spoke about the game in the post-match press conference.

Vicuna made it clear that he was disappointed with the way his side squandered a two-goal lead. Although, he lauded their first half performance, he stressed that the team have much to improve. "In the first half, we played very well," he began. "We had the ball, controlled play and our overall performance lived up to the billing. But, after the first goal, the match was thrown wide open. We are well on our way, but at the same time, we are also very upset and disappointed because we lost two points," the tactician added.

The Kerala Blasters boss was pleased with team captain Sergio Cidoncha's performance on Thursday night. "Cido played really well today. He scored a goal and participated well in our attacks throughout the game," he shared. Kibu Vicuna also added that Sahal Abdul Samad had been left out of the squad as he "was not physically ready to play the match." The 48-year-old also reasoned that his side need more time to figure out an ideal team combination.

"Of course, we need time to adapt to conditions and to try and test different tactics. Today, I felt that at times we played well from the back and of course, we are going to be much better in the days to come."

While NorthEast United head coach Gerard Nus expressed disappointment at the poor quality of his club's training grounds, Kibu Vicuna felt they were alright. "No excuses about training grounds. They are alright and we are looking to work with the available resources to make our players better," he stated, before talking about some key talking points from the match against the Highlanders.

Kerala Blasters had much lesser possession in the second half and answering whether it was a tactical decision, the Spaniard stated, "It was not a tactical decision to sit back and let NorthEast United take more possession in the second half. I am a coach who likes my team to have more possession throughout the game. During the first half we had the ball more and during half-time, we discussed plans about running harder and keeping the ball for longer periods in the second half. However, I think we were a bit over-confident when the match re-started after the break . Meanwhile, Northeast United played well."

Despite a disappointing draw, Kibu Vicuna indicated that it's now time to move on from the game and focus on the upcoming fixtures. "Every match is different. Now, we cannot do anything about the draw today. We got one point from the game and our next objective would be to recover from this and play a good match on Sunday," he signed off.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter and join our community on Telegram.