Kerala Blasters FC head coach Terry Phelan has his strategy very clear ahead of their Hero Indian Super League Season 2 encounter against Mumbai City FC at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.The Blasters, who lost to Atlético de Kolkata in the final last year, are currently propping up the table and will to have win on Thursday to keep their semi-final chances alive. Even a draw won’t help. “Trevor Morgan [Blasters assistant coach] has got the best out of the players and we’ve ended up scoring goals [in the last few matches]. We can play and play against anybody. We’re going out to attack. There is no use going out there and just defending. We have to get the ball, go attack and win the game,” Phelan told reporters ahead of the game on Wednesday.“There are a few teams in that desperate position now, not just Kerala Blasters. But we have to go out there and perform to the best of our abilities. That’s all that I can ask of the lads. I’ve done it in some games, couldn’t really do it in the last game [which they lost 4-1 against Chennaiyin FC]. But that’s football. We’ve just got to roll up our sleeves and take one game at a time. We have three games on hand, so a result from this one will give us a bit of confidence ahead of the next game at home.“You know, Kerala Blasters just missed out on the league title last year. I mean, it happens, and this year, we find us on the wrong end of the table. But with three games left, if we perform better than the other teams, anything could happen as you have witnessed this season.”Mumbai can’t afford to lose either as a defeat. When asked to assess their rivals who were just a spot above the Blasters in the standings, Phelan said: “They have to win three games, we have to win three games. So it’s going to be a nerve-racking game with a big crowd out there. But we just need to worry about ourselves, coming clean on our expectations.”
