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On the 5th of December, Kerala Blasters prolonged their win-less streak in the Indian Super League to 6 matches as they failed to hold on a lead, thereby allowing Mumbai City FC to restore parity and salvage a 1-1 stalemate. Consequently, many expected Eelco Schattorie to cut a cranky figure in the aftermath of the encounter, especially considering the peril the Kochi-based outfit found themselves under.
On the contrary, the Dutch manager looked upbeat after the result and even remarked that he was happy with a point. He said,
We started the game extremely well and the 30 minutes were good. After that, we lost a bit of momentum and we showed a lack maturity and allowed Mumbai into the game. But, overall, I am happy with the result as we played good football, despite missing so many of our key players.
Having said that though, Schattorie was shrewd enough to also point out what exactly went wrong for the Blasters against the Islanders. He quipped,
We lacked that ability in midfield to control the game. We started well but then we began showing our inexperience. We needed someone like a Paulo Machado to play passes around and slow down the game. Cido is a brilliant player but he is more suited to an advanced role. But, in light of the injuries, I have had to push him deeper. Still, we played well and were the better side.
However, he remained positive, despite the apparent shortcomings, stating that they were good defensively and were organised for the majority of the encounter. He also mentioned that he was happy with the result considering that the side was in transition.
Finally, when quizzed about the conundrum regarding the process and short-term results, Schattorie opined that he didn’t really have a choice and he was happy with what he had at his disposal. He added,
When I came here, there were a lot of players who simply hadn’t been coached. They had been launching the ball forward and running because the earlier manager asking them to do so. It is a process and it will take time for the tactics to be implemented.
Thus, courtesy a rather positive post-match press conference, the Dutchman had portrayed that he still retained belief in his young guns to turn things around, despite staring at the barrel currently.
And, though only time would tell what trajectory the Blasters traverse from here, their manager seems to be making all the right noises.
