"No better time to start winning matches" - Bengaluru FC boss Simon Grayson looks forward to facing 'local rivals' Kerala Blasters

Bengaluru FC will face Kerala Blasters at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi in their ninth match of the 2022-23 Indian Super League (ISL) season on Sunday (December 11).

Bengaluru FC will go into the match looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat to ATK Mohun Bagan in their last game. They currently sit ninth in the table with just seven points to their name. Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters, who have won their last four matches, are placed fifth in the standings.

Speaking ahead of the game, Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson stated that he is looking forward to the clash against Kerala Blasters due to the rivalry between the two clubs. He said:

"It's one of the fixtures that when I first arrived in India everybody spoke about given the rivalry between the two clubs and the number of supporters that are going to be in there."

"I suppose it adds spice to the game that Kerala Blasters are on a good run of form and we're looking, obviously, to get back to winning ways after losing last weekend. So it's something that I'm excited about and I'm sure the players are as well."

Bengaluru FC have only won one of their last seven ISL matches. Grayson, though, believes his team is constantly improving and deserved to earn at least a point against ATK Mohun Bagan last weekend. He explained:

"I think we seem to be improving week in and week out. Obviously, we suffered four straight defeats, got back to winning ways against FC Goa with a really good performance, and followed it up last week with probably a better performance, but we didn't get our reward."

"Anybody will realize, after that game, that we deserved at the very least to get a draw out of the game. We limited ATK Mohun Bagan to very, very few opportunities, probably one shot on target."

The English tactician also insisted that the southern derby match against the Kerala Blasters would be the best time for the Blues to kickstart their season. He said:

"I believe that if we keep working and improving, we can win a lot of football matches, starting with this weekend. If you're playing against your local rivals, there's no better time to start winning matches and start going on a run."

"A lot of teams have done that. We're more than capable of doing that. So, why not start this weekend."

Goalscoring has been one of the Blues' biggest problems so far this season. Despite having the likes of Sunil Chhetri and Roy Krishna in their ranks, they have only netted four goals from eight matches.

Addressing the issue, Grayson said:

"Basically put the ball in the back of the net rather than missing the back of the net. I know that's a very simple answer, but we work extremely hard on our phases of play and the attacking third, we do a lot of finishing exercises."

"I think a lot of it will come down to confidence. You see strikers, at the moment, who are in form, they're full of confidence and they take their opportunities when they come along."

He added:

"Reverse to that, when you've not scored too many goals, as individuals, when the chances come along, you get a little bit nervous, edgy, you rush your opportunities."

The Bengaluru FC boss went on to insist that goals will come once Chhetri and Co. get out of their rut. He claimed:

"I think that once a goal goes in for a number of our strikers, it'll give them more belief and confidence, and then they'll go on a run because you don't become a poor striker when you've scored a lot of goals in the ISL like Sunil and Roy."

"Even Sivasakthi [Narayanan], in the Durand Cup, scored a lot of goals. Fine margins in football matches: Siva hit the crossbar last weekend, in pre-season that hits the underside of the bar and goes in. That's just where we are at this moment in time, but that can change very quickly."

Bengaluru FC completed the signing of Spanish player Pablo Perez earlier this week with the hopes of easing their attacking woes. Sunday's match, though, may come too soon for him, according to Grayson:

"He has done a lot of physical work in terms of conditioning, but he hasn't done a lot of football work in the last two, three months or so. Will he be involved at the weekend? I have to decide."

"He's only been with us for three sessions, been with the fitness coach as well for large parts of that. The last thing I want to do is rush him and throw him in the squad and then he breaks down and we lose him for a number of weeks."

However, Grayson admitted that he is tempted to include Perez in the squad to face Kerala Blasters after being impressed by him in training. He said:

"So, I've got to be very careful with that approach, but from what we've seen in training, technically, he looks [like] a very good player. I think he has settled into the group very quickly."

"If he's not in this weekend, he'll get a full week of training next week and hopefully should be available for the Jamshedpur FC match if I decide not to involve him this weekend because one part of me wants to put him in the squad because we brought him here to play, but I also have to be very careful and don't lose him for the long-term."

Grayson went on to explain what fans can expect from Perez when he takes to the field for Bengaluru FC:

"He's a versatile attacking player, so he can play in a number of positions, whether off the sides or as a number 10 or even as an attacking midfield player. That's the versatility that he brings to us as well."

"Obviously, [Perez is] a very good technician, being a Spanish player, can handle the ball well. He's a good size at 6'2". When I spoke to him, to start with, he was very excited and wanted to come to the club and that's a big part."

The Englishman also revealed how Victor Orta, the sporting director of Leeds United, who he previously managed, convinced him to sign the Spaniard. He said:

"Sometimes I speak to players and they're not sort of... they don't give you a right feeling, the right vibe about coming for the right reasons, but he certainly did. If we can get everything together, I think we've got a good player."

"I've got recommendations from Victor Orta, who is the technical director at Leeds, spoke very highly of him, and all the clips that I've watched and other people I've spoken to. The versatility made it an easy decision to bring him to the club because I think he'll improve us."

Bengaluru FC midfielders and defenders have been susceptible to making mistakes in the past few weeks. Grayson believes this is another weakness the Blues need to fix. He elucidated:

"Just keep working to eradicate them and that's in terms of making better decisions - when to clear your lines, when to put into the rows out of the stands or when to move the ball quicker."

"As a coach, when players cross that line, it's very difficult and frustrating at times when you've done a lot of good work, and you lose a match because of a mistake."

Grayson admitted that Bengaluru FC have lost more points due to their own errors than the brilliance of the opposition. He confessed:

"Very rarely over the last few weeks, or all season really, have we lost matches out of pure brilliance from the opposition where somebody has gone past four or five players and bent it into the top corner or a great free-flowing move from the opposition."

"We've gifted the opposition too many winning goals. Last week was probably a good example of us slightly getting caught in possession and before you know the attacker has put it in the back of the net. That's the fine margins, eradicate them and we can go on a run."

Grayson then switched his attention to the Blues' upcoming opponents Kerala Blasters and particularly expressed his admiration for Adrian Luna. He said:

"They had a bad run, I think three or four defeats on the trot, and then obviously have gone four games on the trot of winning matches. That's confidence, belief, having the fine margins go their way at times."

"They've obviously got a fantastic player in Luna, who makes them tick, a good technician on the ball. The striker [Dimtrios Diamantakos] has scored in the last four games as well."

He added:

"They play with a lot of confidence and will be pushing to sustain their place in the top six like they did last year as well. But, again, on any day, we can beat anybody, we feel that, we genuinely do."

The 52-year-old, though, is positive that Bengaluru FC can return from Kochi with the three points. He insisted:

"We're not too far away and if we keep working as we can and how we've done and played with the edge... because you've seen against FC Goa and ATK Mohun Bagan after the Mumbai City FC defeat, we look like a team that is ready and is wanting and desperate to put things right."

"On another day, we could have had six points after the Mumbai game. We're going into it with a lot of confidence, training every day has been good, and confidence has not been affected by the defeat last week because you can lose a match and if you lose in the manner we did, then you draw confidence from that."

Grayson also claimed that Bengaluru FC are still confident about being able to finish in the top six of the ISL:

"Somewhere down the line, our season will click and we'll get going. This time last year, the team had a poor start and then went on to a real good run again in the second half of the season and there's no reason why we can't do that."

"Our aim is still to get into the top six and we still genuinely believe we can do that as every other team in the division will as well. Last night, Jamshedpur FC were quite comfortable against ATK Mohun Bagan, and unfortunately, they lost five on the trot on the back of it and that's how football is at times."

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"We shouldn't think that this is a derby" - Bengaluru FC defender Prabir Das

Grayson was also joined by Bengaluru FC full-back Prabir Das for the press conference. The defender explained how he has found life with the Blues after joining them from ATK Mohun Bagan in the summer. He said:

"For a player, everything is a challenge. I'm at a new club now and it's another challenge for me. As a player, whichever club you play for and wherever you go, there are always challenges."

Das also stressed the need for Bengaluru FC to avoid approaching the match against Kerala Blasters as a derby. He explained:

"The next match is against Kerala Blasters. Yes, it is a derby, but for us, it's important that we get three points. We shouldn't think that this is a derby, we should look at it like all the other matches and try for the three points."

The 28-year-old went on to suggest that Bengaluru FC would be happy to earn a point from the match against the Yellow Army, saying:

"Kerala Blasters are high on confidence now because they won four matches back-to-back. But, we are also doing well. Unfortunately, we lost the last match, but we are focused on the match against Kerala. We'll try for the three points, if that's not possible, we'll look to get at least one point."

It is only a matter of time before we find out if Bengaluru FC can return to winning ways against Ivan Vukomanovic & Co.