Eelco Schattorie: Not afraid to compete with anyone with a fit squad

The Dutchman also expects his side to press FC Goa like they did against Bengaluru last weekend.

Ahead of his side’s home game against FC Goa, Kerala Blasters head coach Eelco Schattorie interacted with the media in a pre-match press conference. Both sides will lock horns at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Sunday evening in an attempt to get back to winning ways, with the two clubs having faced defeats in their last game. In his pre-match press conference on Friday, FC Goa head coach Sergio Lobera had said that Kerala Blasters have a squad good enough to compete for the league title. Reacting on the same, Blasters boss Eelco Schattorie seconded the sentiments of his Spanish counterpart and is confident that his side are capable of challenging for the crown this season, if everyone is fit. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] "Today I saw the press conference with the Goa coach saying that we have a team that can play for the championship. I totally agree with him - if the team is fit. Meaning that it was a sum of the all the great signings we had but a lot of them are not fit. Sandesh, Zuiverloon, Mario Arques and we have a lot of issues. If our team is fit, I am totally not afraid of competing with any team. At this stage, we are still getting to the level of fitness we are trying for everyone," Eelco Schattorie began.

Aiming For Three Points On Sunday

In their previous league game against Bengaluru FC last Saturday, Kerala Blasters fought hard to get a result at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, but slumped to a narrow 1-0 defeat after Sunil Chhetri scored the winner in the second half. However, Eelco Schattorie was really pleased with the performance of his side. The former NorthEast United head coach now wants his team to keep working hard and aim for the win against FC Goa on Sunday. "We are still in survival mode. I think in the last game against Bengaluru, we did very well. Everybody put up a good show. Considering our intensity and the will to win, we were a bit unlucky, but we keep going, we keep working hard. The atmosphere is good. Tomorrow we are going for the three points," the Dutchman asserted. Return Of Mario Arques Amid all their injury woes, Kerala Blasters received a huge boost this week after midfielder Mario Arques returned to training, having recovered from the injury that he picked up in the side's season opener against ATK. While the Spaniard could now play a key role for the Blasters, Eelco Schattorie believes he needs to take things step-by-step instead of rushing. "No, these are all injuries that are long term. Hopefully, within two weeks he will be back. He is back in training. That means he is medically fit, but physically (he still has some way to go). It's always difficult when you are injured for that long. Normally, you play a game of 30 minutes and then the game for 45 minutes. So, he needs 2-3 games, but we don't have an infrastructure. So, I will have to build it in the fastest possible way," Eelco Schattorie explained.

Tactics Against FC Goa

FC Goa, managed by Sergio Lobera, are considered to be one of the most dangerous sides in the Indian Super League. As Kerala Blasters prepare to host the Gaurs, Eelco Schattorie, who was asked to give an insight into his tactics for the game, explained that his team will press the opponents like they did against Bengaluru last weekend. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="RELATED NEWS | ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] "We play all games. So, I don't think he will prefer catching me sitting back. Last game, actually, even from the comments of the opponent coach - he didn't like it, but first half we tried to press Bengaluru. We are going to do the same tomorrow, we try to go forward," the Dutchman quipped. "The game strategy I like to play is a bit adapted, that means it has a lot to do with qualities. He (Sergio Lobera) has a little more quality in the back to do build-up. So, this is small extras that make a difference. I like to play football, I don't like to play long ball strategy. Sometimes, you have to when you don't have the quality to build-up from the back. We will try to take the game to them," Eelco Schattorie concluded.