Ivan Vukomanovic: Kerala Blasters have the right concentration and focus

Ivan Vukomanovic pointed out that Kerala Blasters have not conceded via set-pieces so far in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) season ahead of their clash against Odisha FC on Sunday.

Whereas Odisha have conceded three of their five goals besides also scoring five of their nine goals from set-pieces.

What did Ivan Vukomanovic say?

Kerala Blasters are winless after their opening three games, a 4-2 defeat against ATK Mohun Bagan followed by draws against NorthEast United (0-0) and Bengaluru (1-1) but the Blasters coach is happy with his side's focus.

"I think we played three games against strong opponents. You have to be clever because you have to see the amount of mistakes committed and goals from set pieces. As a coach, you have to deal with all these things to find the right balance and be competitive. This is our goal.

"If you look at the last three games, I don't think we have conceded off set-pieces (other than Roy Krishna's penalty). We have the right concentration and focus and hopefully, it will stay like that," he said.

Maintaining the balance

The 44-year-old manager insists that it is just a matter of finding the right balance between the defence and attack.

"When you want to play attacking football, it opens some possibilities for the opponents. When you play a defensively good game, you say you don't score goals. This is football. You need to have the right balance.
"So we are trying to create chances and not concede goals. I think some teams are suffering more than us in some aspects. We want to work hard and become better in the ISL," he remarked.