Des Buckingham doesn't think injuries at KBFC will give his side any advantage

The Islanders will seek to extend their winning run as they take on the Yellow Army.

Mumbai City FC head into the last game before the Christmas break on a high, as they made it five wins out of six games. They are also on a four-match winning streak and claimed a clean-sheet in their last match against Chennaiyin FC. Despite so many positives, head coach Des Buckingham explained every match is important. His team will approach all of them with thorough practice and composure.    

Kerala Blasters have not enjoyed the best start to the season. Ivan Vukomanovic's side have managed to salvage a meager six points from five games. However, the young English coach commended their abilities at the pre-match presser. Des Buckingham was joined by young winger Vikram Pratap Singh.

“Yes, they’re a very good team,” established the 36-year-old. “They press high and I actually had the pleasure of working with one of their players, Adrian Luna. Adrian has had a fantastic start to the season and is very influential in some of their play. So, I very much look forward to connecting with Luna tomorrow and hope he doesn’t play as well as he has done in the previous games (smiles).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vGY2OyMm84

"But again, it’s the same as any other team you know. We’ll prepare as well as we can for what we think we’ll face because if we don’t, any team in this league is capable of beating any team. So, we need to make sure that we approach this game in the same way and we will, as we have the previous six. ”

On contribution to team & personal goals

India U-23 winger Vikram Pratap Singh is one of the many youngsters in the squad, who has benefitted from Des Buckingham’s youth-centric team selection. His focus on developing and integrating them well into his style of play has seen Vikram produce two goals.

When asked about his contribution to the team and his personal goals for the season, Vikram stated, “Hopefully, in the next match, I will try my best to get on the score-sheet or to help my teammates in as much playing time as I get. I do have a personal goal this season and that is to score a minimum of 10 goals,” said Vikram.

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Competition with Raynier Fernandes & more playing time

Vikram Singh joined Mumbai City last summer. However, he did not get as many chances under Sergio Lobera as he’s been given so far by Des Buckingham. That has, however, seen him compete on a more level platform with creative midfielder and teammate Raynier Fernandes, for a spot in the starting XI. The winger answered in earnest when asked about how this competition is helping him and how much he was enjoying his increased involvement in the matches.

“This sort of competition must be present at all times (smiles). If there is a competition, then there is always going to be more room for improvement. Raynier (Fernandes) is a senior player and plays very well whenever he plays. But, seeing him, I get very motivated because if he is playing then I can play as well.

"I think the coach has also shown a lot of faith in the young players this season. Because last year, I was new to the squad and I did not have as much experience. I think between last year and this year, I’ve improved as a result of the playing style we adopt as a team. I’ve learned a lot from the previous season. So I’m banking on that experience and I have gotten a lot of game-time as a result,” responded the player.

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Team’s decisiveness from set-pieces

The young English coach joined the Islanders with an impressive CV, having worked previously at Stoke City and Melbourne City. Despite being one of the youngest coaches in the Indian Super League, he exhibited his knowledge, as he affirmed the importance of set-plays for his team.

“I think they play a major part and not just in our team. I think if you look across the league itself there are a lot of goals that are scored from set-plays. Across the world for any league across the world, (set-plays) generally account for anything between 30 and 50% (of goals). And that includes World Cups.

"So, they are a huge part of any game. They’re (an) important part of our game. Because they give us a different way of scoring, which was important to us in the last game. But again, they’re only one part of what we want to do. But, we do pay attention to them and they are our No. 1 priority for our in possession and out-of-possession game,” elaborated Buckingham.

Possible advantage due to absence of key players for Kerala Blasters

Kerala Blasters revealed that center-back Enes Supovic will be an absentee, while Harmanjot Khabra might miss out on Sunday’s match. Buckingham, however, waved away the possibility of any sense of relief that he and his squad might have at the news.

“No, not really. Because I think that they’ve got really good players that can come in. Especially with their foreign players and that’s what we’re aware of and ready for. So, again, we’ve got no control (over) what team they’ll put out or how they’ll play against us.

"So, we’ll still continue to approach the game in the same way that we were doing. We’ll do (it) again when we train today. Just to make sure we're ready for what we want to do when we’re in possession. Make sure that we’re set-up for anything they may pose against us,” he remarked.

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Ahmed Jahouh's importance to team

Playing as deep as he naturally does, defensive midfielder Ahmed Jahouh already has five assists and one goal to his name. His influence in controlling the tempo of the game with his passing and tackling is unmatched. But, he also contributes to the score-sheet almost regularly. Des Buckingham was full of praise for his play and elaborated on his role in the team.

‘Yes, Jahouh is obviously a player that performed very well for this team. A lot of play went through Jahouh last year as well, in terms of the style. So, what we wanted to do this year is (to) just evolve and take that on a step further. We’ve done that and we’ve paired him with Rowlin Borges. We’ve paired him with Apuia in the recent six games. I’m just trying to evolve his style and see if he can become more influential in different areas of the field.

"We know he’s got the capability from set-plays. We know his range of passing is extremely good when he drops into the backline. We’re just trying to play with his position to try and get him more advanced, so he can have more impact higher up the field as well as the other sides of his game,” he replied.

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