We need to move the ball with more urgency against Mumbai City, says KBFC coach Rene

KERALA BLASTERS will take on Mumbai City tonight in their third outing in ISL but are yet to score in the season. Talking about the reason why they haven't even after having an attacking front.

Coach Rene Meulensteen at the pre-match press conference said,

"Well, first of all, we need to not make this an issue bigger than it is. We need to keep focused and remind the players that we are in the process of developing. You need to take a clear, realistic look at the games, and keep the emotions out of it, and I think we improved very much in our second game compared to the first one. We kept a clean sheet and kept the ball far better than we did against Kolkata. The next step now is to turn that possession into a more attacking threat. That is what has been lacking – the penetration, the decision making, the final cutting edge. The most important goal to score in a season is the first one because the moment you score the first one, it will bring confidence."

Talking about his opponents, he said,

"I think you need to see all the opponents and all the games in the perspective of the whole ISL. The ISL, in my opinion, is very erratic, and it is very hard to predict how things are going to go. Opponents who you think are on a bad run, can really surprise you, and vice versa. I feel there are a lot of differences in performances because there are different circumstances to play in. Good thing is that we now play our third game in the same circumstances. Mumbai will always be a strong opponent. They have always fielded strong teams, and they have that this time. We need to keep it simple – keep a clean sheet and score goals."

"The key is to break the lines quicker. Mumbai in their three games have shown that they are happy to give some possession to the opposition. That is probably part of their strategy. They have some good, quick players up-front, and we need to be aware of that. We need to build on what we did in our last game, which was to keep possession and moving the ball. We need to move the ball with more urgency and (in the) forward direction. Mumbai will do everything to stop us."

Talking about Berbatov, he said,

"Berbatov has different traits, and I want to get my best players on the ball as much as I can. If you compare Berbatov’s touches in the second game compared to the first, there was a big difference. He gives that calmness and composure. It is an ongoing process, even for the Indian players to get used to. They need to trust him. They can give him the ball even when he is marked, and basically, you always know that he will come up with something good. He is measured in his approach, and we need to make sure that we can turn all those touches into attacks in a positive way."

Wes Brown is yet to play as he is undergoing a calf injury but coach believes that he'll be a secret weapon.

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