█▌▌INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE SEASON 4 ◆ First Round in Progress ◆ Bengaluru Fc At Top ▌ █▌

പബ്ലിക് ഫോറം ആയതു കൊണ്ട് ഞാൻ ഒന്നും പറയുന്നില്ല !

 

Kali engane undaayirunnu, njn kandilla ??

 

MIDFIELD AND INJURY WOES CONTINUE TO STRANGLE KERALA BLASTERS

The Sachin Tendulkar co-owned outfit suffered consecutive defeats for the first time this season…

The manner in which Ahmed Jahouh, Edu Bedia and Manuel Lanzarote were allowed to pick their passes in the second half, the gulf in class between the two teams was apparent. Yes, the score-line read 2-1 in favour of FC Goa but their dominance in midfield and how they made use of the bigger field was there for all to witness.

Yes, this was their fourth game in 12 days, of which three were on the road. Like every team in the Indian Super League (ISL), they too had to endure this phase of frenetic schedule. While they did fairy well in terms of the results in the first two games, their performance in the next two wasn’t up to the mark.

You would expect a lot more from the home team. Against Jamshedpur FC, after Keziron Kizito had to be substituted, their midfield comprised of Milan Singh, Loken Meetei and Courage Pekuson.

David James fielded Siam Hanghal, Pekuson and Milan for the Goan challenge and it must be said that the trio failed to make an impact. While one may point that Hanghal did strike the crossbar, apart from that none of the midfielders caused any trouble whatsoever.

Consider this, Milan and Siam could only make 26 accurate passes in the game when compared to Jahouh with 80 and Bedia, who made 90.

There was a period in the second half where Jahouh was walking with the ball and there was no shirt in Yellow to close him down. The only player who possibly ran his socks off was a 34-year-old Iain Hume, something which the rest of the contingent should take note of.



The number of north-eastern recruits in the team haven’t really blossomed. Jackichand Singh has been in patchy form while Lalruatthara seems to be the only consistent performer. Others like Meetei and Pritam Singh or Samuel Shadap have been average to say the least.

Another issue which seems to be hurting the Blasters has been the number of players on the injury table. Dimitar Berbatov hasn’t recovered yet while Kizito too missed the game due to a knock.

Rino Anto’s case has been curious. The right-back hasn’t played in the I-League and was on the bench during the Federation Cup for Bengaluru FC last season. Add to that, he only played for 165 minutes under Steve Coppell.

His lack of match fitness is apparent. How? In the 10 matches he has featured in, he had to be substituted on five occasions. Yes, the player has been giving his heart out but does that matter when he isn’t or probably wasn’t 100 per cent fit in the first place.

It’s six games between now and the end of the league phase for Kerala and they need to make each one count for their countless fans. Do they have it in them to make the cut for the play-offs?

 

mosam....kure avasaram kitti...nalla finisher illathathinte kuzhapam aanu

mid field oke sokam ayirunnu

 

Hume kure chance undaki koduthu conct cheyunilla arum... Wes brown oke veruthe manam nokki nikkunnu .

Hoo hengbertinte oke vila ella arthathil manasilakunnu...

 

Dimitar Berbatov to be dropped by Kerala Blasters to make space for new signing in January transfer window?

Dimitar Berbatov has not impressed with his performances this season.



Kerala Blasters may actually be pondering about the unthinkable -- dropping the former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur great Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian forward has been off the pace this season and has not exactly impressed with his performances on the pitch.

Having assembled one of the most star-studded squads in the ISL this season, there were a lot of expectations on the Kochi-based franchise. The likes of ex-Red Devils Berbatov and Wes Brown, and ISL's all-time top scorer Iain Hume, along with Sir Alex Ferguson's former deputy Rene Meulensteen as the manager made for a rather formidable squad.

They have merely flattered to deceive, though, managing only three wins from 12 matches, as they languish at the seventh spot on the table. Things seemed to have taken a positive turn after Meulensteen was sacked and David James was brought in as a replacement, as the Kochi-side won two back-to-back away games for the first time.

However, successive losses at the hands of Jamshedpur FC and FC Goa have brought them down the table, and rumours of underperforming players being dropped have started doing the rounds.

From a source close to the team said that the Blasters management may even be considering the possibility of dropping injured star Dimitar Berbatov from the squad, in order to make space for another foreign player.

The team management is also said to have scheduled a meeting later this week, in order to decide his future at the club, according to sources.

The Bulgarian has been injured for a while and has not been able to contribute much to the team on the pitch. These lack of performances and the persistent injuries could well be the reason behind the Kerala management looking for fresh faces in the January transfer window.

It would be interesting to see what effect this has on the Kerala Blasters team, should the team management decide to axe the 36-year-old. However, even though he may not be on much value to the Blasters on the pitch during his injury, an experienced player like him could always be of more use as more of a mentor for the younger members of the team.

 

Kerala Blasters and Mark Sifneos have mutually agreed to part ways. We are grateful for all his contributions to the club. The club would also like to wish him well for the future.