ISL 2019-20 | Kerala Blasters have been put together very well, says Phil Brown

ISL 2019-20 | Kerala Blasters have been put together very well, says Phil Brown

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Hyderabad FC head coach Phil Brown has appreciated Kerala Blasters FC’s players by hailing their investments ahead of Hyderabad's first home game at G.M.C Balayogi Athletic Stadium in the city of Biryani. The English coach has also backed his team despite the current injury woes.

Hyderabad FC will host fellow southern club Kerala Blasters for their first-ever ISL home game at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium on Saturday in Hyderabad. Both the teams are coming after a loss while home team Hyderabad FC are injury-plagued and lost two back to back games in a big margin. The English coach did not forget to appreciate Kerala Blasters and their investments. 

"(Kerala) are a team that has been put together very well. They have invested very well. But we have watched a couple of games and witnessed a couple of matches. They have got some good players, but we are playing at home, so we must put our stamp on the Hero ISL, and it starts with the next few games.” said Phil Brown at the pre-match press conference, ISL website reported.

All is not well for Hyderabad FC, the newcomers are coming home for the first time after two heavy defeats in the hands of ATK and Jamshedpur FC. To add it to its woes they also face severe injury blows to their key foreign players. The southern side needs to fix their sloppy defence which conceded eight goals in two games. However, the English Coach hopes to field a better team. 

“I hope we can soon get our strongest team out, and then we can talk about the defence, midfield or attack. With a little pride, I can say that we have impressed even though we have conceded eight goals and scored just one. I understand the question but give us a chance to breathe. Once we get there, we will show you a brand of football and hopefully, results will come,” said Brown

Four foreigners are in the sidelines with injuries or unavailability and coach Phil Brown will have a hard time to fill the eleven with suitable players. Bobo, Giles Barnes, Nestor Benitez and Rafael Lopez are the foreigners that will miss their first home game. Young Indian Sahil Panwar is also injured.

“The players have been put through the paces. They have been working hard. We went to Chennai for two weeks and then Goa for four to five weeks, then Kolkata and Jamshedpur. So, when we arrived in Hyderabad, everybody suddenly felt relaxed and we felt at home. And hopefully, we can make that statement in our new stadium. Let’s see how these two home games go and then we can talk about the season,” Brown further added.

The Englishman who has played and managed several clubs in England extended his support to his Indian forward Robin Singh who is in a terrible form. “Robin Singh is doing a great job for us. He’s on his own, and Marcelo (Pereira) has been playing alongside him, especially when you have people like Bobo in the stands and you are waiting for him to reach full fitness. Soon, our players will not be in the stands and Robin will get the benefit of our bigger players when they are fit. Right now, we have a treatment room full of good players. once that clears out, Robin will soon get firing.”

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