'Accepting that we've a problem should be the first step', Ivan Vukomanovic on the national team

Kerala Blasters head coach Ivan Vukomanovic and striker Ishan Pandita addressed the media ahead of their away game against Jamshedpur FC. Read the key excerpts here.

Q. Players are not doing well in the national team like they play in their clubs. What do you think is the reason?

Ivan Vukomanovic: "If you want to solve not only speaking about football or sport, if you want to solve any problem in your life, the first step to solving that problem is admitting to yourself that you have a problem. Many people are not conscious about the reality and the level of international football. We play in ISL and we are conscious about the level that we are facing in ISL because people can see it live and see it on TV. In the Champions League, like this year, we saw our best team of the league from last season, Mumbai City got overclassed in the Champions League, which is not a shame because that's reality.

We arrive with the national team in Asia cup where we didn't get the results, I think even with the best team we had. But it's not a shame. You have to sit down and say, okay guys, what should we do next or for the next period that we don't experience any more of these kinds of off situations.

So then reality of ISL, okay, the level of the league where we are playing is on the lower level than some other competitions. I think, in 2017 when India was playing World Cup for youth under 17 where actually many players now in ISL, they've been from their generation. If you want to compete with your national team on one serious level in qualifications for World Cup, South Asia, whatever it is, you must build up at least one or two very good young national teams, which means under 17, under 19s, which.

If there is no vision connected between federation and the clubs, it will never happen.

Q. National team coach states that it's not his job to produce players, what are your thoughts on players like Ishan not getting playing game?

Ivan Vukomanovic: National team coach is right when he says that he doesn't have to produce players. It's the job of the clubs. It's the job of the youth system of the clubs, saying we need to produce these kinds of players with these profiles. When they go to national teams, they confirm their quality. That's all.

If you look at the previous ten years. So mostly foreigners are in positions of strikers or central defenders. Something that you miss. We need to produce more strikers, central defenders on certain positions. Because then you will get the quality and then the clubs will say, okay, then I don't need to bring those foreigners in those positions.

You can implement many rules like having at least one player under 21 on the pitch or under 23. And you give a chance to your players and then you work. This is how it goes. Of course, in the beginning depending on quality. But that's the only way that you can improve the youth system and football. And at the end who benefits the most? National team.

Q. Will Adrian Luna play against Jamshedpur FC tomorrow?

Ivan Vukomanovic: Luna will not play tomorrow. He's not ready to play these kind of games. He started a little more than 10 days ago with the medical staff. We will choose the right moment. We've to be careful with him because he's very important to us.

Q. Is there any truth in the rumors about you (Ivan Vukomanovic) and Dimitrios Diamantakos leaving the club at the end of the season?

Ivan Vukomanovic: Rumors will always be rumors. I have a contract. I like being with Kerala Blasters. It's an honor. I'm really proud to be part of this great club. So there's nothing certain about those fake rumors or whatever was going around then.

About Dimitrios, he's a great player, proving for the second year in a row that he can be the top scorer of the league. Of course, if there are any interests, especially from many clubs in this league, who have very weak scouting overseas. It happened in the previous season too, with Jorge Pereira, with Alvaro.

Of course, when you want to keep those players but can't compete with some offers, that's the unwritten law of the transfer market. There are clubs who can always say come to us, we'll give you more in financial aspect. That's how it works in football sometimes. As a club, you want to keep your best players, but there are limits.