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Kerala Blasters FC

We are waiting to see if we can get a player in January- Ivan Vukomanovic

Prior to the game on Sunday, Ivan Vukomanovic and Vincenzo Alberto spoke to the media. Read the key points.

We are waiting to see if we can get a player in January- Ivan Vukomanovic
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Ivan Vukomanovic (source: ISL website)

By

Aswathy Santhosh

Updated: 28 Jan 2023 8:28 AM GMT

Kerala Blasters will play Northeast United at home on Sunday following a stretch of two losses on the road.

The Yellow Brigade is presently in fourth place with a one-point deficit to FC Goa with two games in hand.

Right back Sandeep Singh suffered a fracture and is ruled out of the season. Ivan Vukomanovic spoke about reinforcing the team in January window.

"Right now we have one deal, which is almost done. We are waiting to see if we can get that player now in January. If not, we will have to wait till the end of the season."

"Teams will wait to see their situation in the playoffs and then make a move in the last days. So there is still possibility that we will have something".

Ivan Vukomanovic also responded to the criticism from the fans about the lack of ambition from the club.

"When you find yourself as a club in a different position after a couple of years of disappointment, then you first have to find out and to analyze problems and first step to improve it is actually saying to yourself, okay, there is a problem, how to solve it, and then work on that. In football, it never happens in a short period."

Kerala Blasters were known for their fighting spirit but their morale went down after conceding a penalty against FC Goa.

"The details (penalty or not penalty) makes a lot of difference, then you make an individual mistake and concede again. We had a good half time talk and we responded well. We scored and we wanted to push, and again you commit another error which cost you really expensive on a top level".

Despite Northeast United's dismal record of 4 points from 15 games and last-place standing, head coach Vincenzo Alberto is upbeat about the upcoming Sunday blockbuster.

"The mood is always positive for the new game because we have had enough time to rest and prepare for the game. We know the way they play. We'll change a few things for sure".

Annese has nothing but respect for his opponents.

"They are always competent and it's hard to play against them in Kochi. But we prepared well with respect to one of the most important clubs in India"

Alberto Annese thinks it shouldn't be an excuse that Northeast United will be playing Kerala Blasters without their captain Wilmar Jordan.

"It will be hard, because he is our captain but that is not an excuse".

Northeast United's captain Arindam Bhattacharya believes that a win over Kerala Blasters will give them a morale boost.

"We are playing in Kochi infront of a huge crowd and if we manage a good result, that will be a huge motivation for our team going forward. We have prepared well".

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