Eelco Schattorie - I knew where Bengaluru FC’s weakness is

Kerala Blasters picked up their first-ever win over Southern rivals Bengaluru FC in six meetings as Bartholomew Ogbeche’s brace stunned the Blues.

Dutch coach Eelco Schattorie suggested after the match that he knew the weaknesses of the Bengaluru FC team and accordingly formulated his tactics.

“I played Bengaluru FC four times last season, one win and a draw. Overall, I know where their weakness is. In the first half, I was a bit scared of the ball in behind. Bilal (Khan) recovered eventually, fantastically. The tactic was working in the end, the final ball was not always there. We forced them back. We created a lot of good chances.”

When asked about talisman Bartholomew Ogbeche’s performance this season who is joint first with Roy Krishna in the top scorer’s list, Schattorie opined, “Take any team that finishes high, they have someone who can score and someone who saves. For us, keepers have made huge errors this season. If the striker upfront is scoring, you stay in the race.”

The Dutch coach explained why he deployed attacking midfielder Sahal Abdul Samad on the right flank. “It is a fantastic way at this level to get experience, on the wing, On the wing, you have more time, it gives you rhythm and time to get used to the physicality. I really wish, around him, people protect him. I believe in him,” said the Kerala Blasters coach.

The Blasters coach expressed his desire to have a say in the team-building process next season but he also suggested that he remains insecure about his job.

“I hope I can have a say in choosing the players. That security is still not there. So let's see, that's all I can say.”

Explaining his decision to drop Rehenesh from the matchday squad, the former East Bengal coach said, “(TP) Rehenesh had a lot of chances but was simply not good enough.”