Hyderabad FC players deserve a medal for what they have gone through this season - Kerala Blasters coach Ivan Vukomanovic | ISL 2023-24

Kerala Blasters FC broke their five-game winless streak when they beat Hyderabad FC 3-1 in gameweek 22 of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Maidaan in Gachibowli on Friday, April 12.

Head coach Ivan Vukomanovic, speaking to the media after the game, expressed his faith in his players while commending their opponents for being brave in their approach all season.

He also hoped that his senior players Dimitrios Diamantakos and Adrian Luna, who are injured now, would be available for selection for the ISL playoffs starting next week.

“For us, this was one of the most difficult games of the season. It was one of those games where the result was of no importance to either side. When you see and think about what both teams have been going through this season, this kind of game today was a tough one. Diamantakos and Luna are important players and we would like them to be ready for us. Luna is training with the team, and let us hope he can play in the playoffs,” said Vukomanovic.

“For one side, Hyderabad FC, this young group of players deserve a medal for this season, for what they have been going through with all the issues and problems. Being present with enthusiasm and motivation, so a lot of praise for them. Congratulations to them for staying motivated every game this season. On the other hand, I have to say big praise for our team because today again we had a couple of players playing in a position which they were not used to playing,” he added.

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"It was kind of a weird feeling, not having that high motivation" - Ivan Vukomanovic

Vukomanovic said that this game wherein the future of both teams was already decided - Kerala to the playoffs and Hyderabad to the bottom of the table - was challenging to play due to the depleted motivation.

Several youngsters at the club - including Nihal Sudeesh, who scored a goal on the night - came in for appreciation by the tactician, who said that it was extremely important to develop the youth.

“Again, the feeling of playing this last game where it was already decided (we would be heading) was what we wanted to avoid. We wanted to win, we wanted to get those points for us as an important positive, mental boost for the next week for the playoffs. It was kind of a weird feeling - not having that high motivation,” said Vukomanovic.

“Now it’s my third season at the club. From the first season, we discovered a few young talents like Nihal, Vibin, Sachin, Azhar and Aimen. If you don’t produce these kinds of players, very soon you will stay without players. If you want to stay alive with a limited budget, which some clubs have, they have to do this. It’s your asset for the future. Maybe you can sell some of them when they grow up,” he concluded.