ISL 2020-21 | Have enough depth in squad to fill in missing players, admits Ishfaq Ahmed

Kerala Blasters FC have walked down the redemption path in the past four matches, having won a couple of game and shared points in the remaining two after a disastrous start to the season. Unfortunately, the ‘Tuskers’ will miss out on the services of their head coach Kibu Vicuna and two of their most potent weapons – Jeakson Singh and Rahul KP, owing to disciplinary issues. But, their assistant coach Ishfaq Ahmed feels that they have enough depth in their squad to fill in the boots of missing players on Wednesday evening.

"We know that we won't have some players and unfortunately Kibu is not available for this match but we have some players coming back from injuries. We have a good depth in the squad and a positive attitude to go for three points," said Kibu Vicuna, ahead of their clash against Jamshedpur FC.

"Any team, when they miss their important players, they have problems. So do we, but the good thing is, we are responding well. Rahul has been asked to play as a striker and he has scored goals," added the former footballer.

Gary Hooper, primarily roped in as a striker, had struggled to score this season, having found the back of the net just twice in 11 appearances, but the foreigner has been assigned a different role now. As per Ishfaq, the former Norwich City player is playing as a number 10 and has also shown vast improvement in his game since then.

"As per the instructions, he's playing as a number 10 and you must have seen a huge difference . He has created a lot of chances. We had a word with him and he understands football. He plays more for the team than trying to score himself. I don't think he lacks confidence. He has a contribution of five to six goals, directly or indirectly, which is good for the team,” explained the Kerala Blasters FC assistant coach.