Footballers need a high fitness level to cope with the physical demands of the game. Both sides will have to give their best on the field throughout the 90 minutes of intense battle. Despite the team being ravaged by COVID-19, the effort put in by Kerala Blasters against Bengaluru FC is commendable.
Most of the players took the field days after recovering from illness, and understandably, they were tired. Besides, as they were under hotel quarantine, they might have hardly trained in the past two weeks. Bengaluru capitalised on Blasters' vulnerability by devising a strategic game plan to exploit the physical weakness in the opposition.
The Blasters' frontline struggled to control crosses and long-range lobs while the midfielders and the defenders had a tough time covering spaces and clearing aerial balls. COVID does sap your energy!
Blasters may have lost the match by a solitary 'set-piece goal', but they can definitely hold their head up. I'm sure this defeat will not dent their morale, instead, it will stir them up to be more 'positive'.
Blasters is one of the most consistent sides of the league. They may have failed to score a goal against BFC, but I could not spot any chinks in their armour. I'm certain that they will qualify for the play-offs.
Footballers are not robots. I have seen people who recovered from COVID panting after a few steps. That is why the resilience and grit shown by the Yellow Brigade is special. We should not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs! The ISL organisers should bear that in mind.
(The writer is a former captain of the Indian football team)
