Kerala Blasters are facing an injury crisis…
Kerala Blasters head coach Eelco Schattorie feels there is a curse on him after three more players were sidelined due to injuries as his team were held to a goalless draw by Odisha FC on Friday in Kochi.
Jairo Rodriguez picked up a hamstring injury minutes after kick-off before a concussion forced Messi Bouli off the field in an ambulance. Bart Ogbeche missed out on a start for the first time this season due to food poisoning.
“I feel like there is a curse on me. It started yesterday (Thursday) morning, Ogbeche went to the hospital with severe food poisoning. He wanted to play and I convinced him that it is a huge risk. I took some advice to get information on cases like this. That was a problem,” Schattorie said after the game.
“For Jairo, it is the fourth game now that he is playing with an injection. In the warm-up, he was complaining a little bit. It is a hamstring injury. He had a meniscus problem, we tried to patch it up every time. With Messi, I don’t think it will be a long term injury, it is a concussion.”
The Dutch coach once again touched upon criticism on his team selection. “I keep getting emails and messages, saying Prasanth (Karuthadathkuni) should be changed. He was fantastic today. His delivery was not perfect but he recovered.
“If I think Sahal (Samad) has to be on the bench, he will be on the bench. I know how to handle young layers. He was fantastic today. I will stand behind my players.
“I don’t think Odisha had one chance if I am correct. We had some patches of decent football. Overall, I am very happy with the players and happy with the point,” he signed off.
Odisha FC head coach Josep Gombau felt that the quality of football on display in Kochi was poor from both sides.
“We came here to try and win the game. For me, it was a poor game of football by both sides. There are many factors, we need to analyze. We lost some balls. Everyone put a big effort into the game. I demand from the players that everyone brings 100 per cent.”
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