The Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 season hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Kerala Blasters FC, with a top four finish looking more and more unlikely every passing day. The Blasters' poor form has seen them muster up just a single win from nine outings and their next assignment is a tough home fixture against Jamshedpur FC on Tuesday.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Kerala head coach David James analysed the season so far and said, "I think we’ve been very close in a lot of games and I thought that we were hard done by earlier in the season. There were a few decisions that didn’t go our way. The game against Chennaiyin, I think, on many different levels, was very positive. To get a clean sheet, only the second of the season, was very good. Perhaps we could have created more chances, but I think it was a performance of two teams in a very nervy position."

Jamshedpur FC’s current point tally this season (15) is almost double of that of the Blasters' (8). Despite the gulf, James reckoned that Jamshedpur’s season had a lot of parallels to that of Kerala's and stated that confidence will be the key to success on Tuesday. "Yes, we’ve only won one game against ATK. Jamshedpur have had a similar season to us. We just haven’t secured enough points. The team that we got, the team that we are going to put out tomorrow, should be, hopefully, enough to win the game and get us back on the winning track. The draw against Chennaiyin had a lot of positives, especially from a defensive point of view. There is a lot of confidence from that," he said.

Kerala's poor run of form has left the fans frustrated, and James agreed that the passionate Blasters faithful deserved a lot more. "When the fans are enjoying what they are seeing, that makes sense. I’m a Kerala Blasters fan myself. It's very difficult to watch your team play when they are not doing what you want them to do. We need to be effective now rather than trying to look good. The spirit towards football is so alive here and we have to give them something back. I’m confident that we will get there," he stated.

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