Eelco Schattorie: Hopefully we will get three points against Hyderabad FC

The Dutchman also provided an update on the development of Indian ace Sahal Abdul Samad.

Kerala Blasters were defeated by Mumbai City FC in their previous encounter and hence would head into the coming match with the objective of returning to winnings ways, especially against a struggling side like Hyderabad FC. The head coach, Eelco Schattorie spoke to the media ahead of the match.

First up, he was asked whether he would have a psychological edge whilst face Hyderabad FC, considering their poor run of form, to which Eelco Schattorie replied, “No, in football that doesn’t exist. These are clichés. Of course, when you lose two times and play at home, there will be some pressure on them. I don’t think we have the advantage.”

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He was also probed about his reading of Hyderabad FC this season. The Dutchman said, “Injuries. The thing with Hyderabad FC is injuries. Even for us. We are not that worse. We still have decent, if not the entire squad with us at the moment.

“We have some players, like foreigners who are not fully fit. But, it takes time. But, there is a lot of football. You have to win it and hopefully we will get away with three points tomorrow.”

Prasanth Karuthadathkuni

Prasanth Karuthadathkuni attended the press conference with the manager and he was inquired about how eager he was for this upcoming game after a pretty difficult match last time around. The forward answered, “Yes, as the coach said, it is not going to be an easy match tomorrow. But, here we came to win. So yes, we are looking forward to the game.”

Eelco Schattorie was then asked about the travelling fans of Kerala Blasters. The Manjappada have become renowned across the league for their tremendous support to the club, irrespective of their performances. They have had a lot of away supporters and regarding that, Schattorie stated, “I am getting a lot of emails, tweets and messages from people about my team. So, I am happy if I have that support. It is good to have support behind you.

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“I ask for patience. We have a full squad and the players who will play tomorrow and those who played last week, gave their all. That’s why the people decide to come and watch us play.”

The coach was quizzed about Sahal Abdul Samad and his thoughts on the lad's further involvement with the team. He said, “That’s one of the things that you have to be very careful about, what you say. I am very happy that I have Sahal in my team. At the same time, last year was his first season in the ISL. His background, he has not really come from competitive football leagues.

“I will always give him chances, but you have to take on that. It is not really about you hit on two passes and then giving away 4-5 balls. It is about stability. In time, he will have a very good contribution and as I said, I am very happy with him in my team.”