NorthEast United FC head coach Khalid Jamil expects to churn out better results with a full squad at his disposal without injuries, when his boys take on Kerala Blasters FC in their Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 match at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco, Goa on Friday evening.

The Highlanders are winless in their last eight matches and suffered a humiliating 0-5 defeat against Hyderabad FC in their previous match. The last time these two teams faced earlier this season, the match ended in a goalless draw.

Jamil addressed the media during the pre-match press conference.

Here are excerpts from the press conference:

You are coming into the game with a heavy defeat against Hyderabad FC. How difficult is it to get the team back in the proper mental shape after a heavy defeat, and especially against opponents that are in fine form this season?

Looking back at the previous game, yes, it was not up to the mark. But now we have to think about the future, which is tomorrow, that is the most important thing. And about the players, they are professional. They know that sometimes things happen (according to the plan) in football, sometimes does not happen. So we must not think about it. We must (now) think about tomorrow's game. This is the best solution for us.

I would like to know your views about your new signings that you've made in the transfer window, the three new foreigners, what do you feel about them and are you happy with their performance?

Yes, yes. Looking back to the start with (Zakaria) Diallo. No doubt after he came he brought solidity in defense and I can say he's one of the best players we have at this moment. He is a good player, he needs time and he has good experience and he's also mixing with everybody. He’s defensively very strong and talking about Marco (Sahanek), he's also a versatile player and he also can play in any position in attack. He's also doing a good job and talking about Marcelinho, everybody knows his experience also counts. So, three of them are good signings for us.

And what are your thoughts on the matchup?

Talking about Kerala Blasters FC, they are definitely a good team, they also have good players, who are doing well this season. And talking about them we played them a long time back, when the situation was different. But one good point is we have all the players with us now. So we should do good and we are ready for this match.

How's the mood in the dressing room given NorthEast United are winless in past few matches and are set to play one of the best teams this season - Kerala Blasters FC?

The last match and also the last few matches, we don't get what we deserve sometimes, but we hope we get the best in the future.

What have you learnt from the last season and how are you looking forward to the next match?

I don't want to talk about the last season, but about the next five matches. Every match we try our best to give 100%. The result is not in our hands. So let's hope we get the maximum points in these five matches.