Kiko Ramirez happy to give opportunities to young players

The Juggnauts suffered their first defeat of the season against Kerala Blasters.

Odisha FC welcome NorthEast United at Tilak Maidan in the Indian Super League. Odisha come into the game as the team in form, with two wins from their last three games. NorthEast, however, are struggling to keep up with their opponents. The Highlanders have just one win in their four games in ISL 2021-22. Kiko Ramirez's side's only defeat in this campaign came against Kerala Blasters.

Odisha are one of the highest-scoring sides with 10 goals scored already. The Bhubaneswar-based side rely heavily on their Indian youngsters. Odisha would be looking for inspiration from their key players to bounce back from the defeat against Kerala Blasters.

The Juggernauts head coach Kiko Ramirez, assistant coach Kino Sanchez and goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh discussed the upcoming fixture in the pre-match press conference:

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Further improvements

Kiko Ramirez will not sit back and relax after a good start to their campaign. He wants his side to take their loss against Kerala seriously and improve on the mistakes committed in the game.

When asked to comment on their start, Kiko answered, "It is true that we won the first two matches. But, we lost the third match. So, at this moment, I'm only thinking of the last match. We are focused on improving on the mistakes of the last match."

Muscle injuries in team

Ramirez's side missed Jonathas de Jesus against Kerala Blasters. The Brazilian forward missed out on Odisha's squad against Kerala due to a muscle injury. However, Jonathas has started training with the team. The team have had similar issues with some other players in the squad.

The coach explained, "In the previous game, there were muscle issues. So, we spoke with the medical team and decided for him to not be in the squad. Now, for this game, he is improving and getting better. He is going to the training, but we have to wait until the last minute to decide to add him or not. Of course, it was a hard week. More players have muscle problems, but not big."

Performances of Isak Vanlalruatfela & other youngsters

Kiko Ramirez is impressed with the pool of youngsters he has. He trusts them and wants to give them as many opportunities as possible. Some of these players have lived up to the expectations of their head coach.

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"Isak (Vanlalruatfela) was training and performing well because of which we used him in the matches. Nikhil (Raj), he contributed by scoring a goal. Not only them, but all the young players are performing well.

"Of course, if they are performing and training well, they will get their chance. We are happy to give opportunities to young players," Kiko quipped.

On NorthEast United

Kino Sanchez tried to break down their opponents' style of play. He explained that NorthEast United are a team that defend well and try to hit back after winning the ball. The former Valencia youth team coach knows they will be a difficult team. But, the Odisha assistant coach has a lot of faith in his training methods and the players.

"They are a strong team, powerful in physical aspects and transitions. They defend in a compact way, and after they win the ball, they have players who can put us in a lot of trouble. We have prepared for such situations. We know it is going to be a tough game, but we are prepared for the match," Kino explained.

Sanchez on dealing with loss against Kerala Blasters

Odisha FC were flying high until they lost against Kerala Blasters. The Juggernauts, however, are calm and know that winning and losing are part and parcel of the game.

"When we were winning, we were calm. When we lost the last match, we are calm. We are focused on the long-term project that we have here at Odisha FC. So, we know it is a part of football - winning or losing. We had clear chances to win, but we couldn't take them. The other team played really well. They had a good game and they won. We are working in the same way we were," the assistant quoted.

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Kamaljit on NorthEast United

Kamaljit Singh is hoping for the best against NorthEast United. He knows that they will be tough competition. But, he believes that Odisha have the necessary focus to get through.

The goalkeeper commented, "We are looking forward to the next game. We are focused. We know they are a tough competitor and the league can change very quickly. So we are taking things step-by-step. We are hoping for the best against them."

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Kamaljit on coaching staff

Odisha have great goalkeeping talent in Kamaljit Singh. But, to get the best out of him, they have hired goalkeeping coach Manu Patricio. The Argentinean along with the head coach and the assistant coach bring a lot of experience that the players can learn from.

The 25-year-old former Hyderabad FC goalkeeper said, "We have great coaches. Kiko is a great coach. And we know that it is the first time for Kino as an assistant coach. Before that, he has always been a head coach in different countries. He has a big experience in Asia and the coach has a big experience in Europe, so has Manu. They bring a lot of experience with them. We are doing pretty good under them. Hopefully, we have good things coming our way."

Kamaljit on his inspiration

Kamaljit Singh learns from all the top goalkeepers of the league. He learns from their mistakes and hopes that these can help him grow. He fancies playing in a foreign league sometime in the future.

"I watch all the goalkeepers, and I learn from them. Even I learn from their mistakes. For me, whoever is playing at the top level, they are my inspiration. I am hoping that one day even I get a chance to play abroad," the Odisha FC player wished.

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