Kerala Blasters must find 'answers' as they prepare for final home game in ISL

When Kerala Blasters players stroll onto their home ground, the colossal Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, on Friday evening (March 7), expectations won't be high.

The best the Blasters can do is win against Mumbai City FC. They might even get a spectacular win that avenges a 2-4 defeat in the reverse fixture last November. A big win might put a smile on their loyal fans, but it won't be hearty. The players may face the Manjappada for the Viking clap routine but cannot do chest-thumping acts.

Whatever the team does for 90 minutes on Friday won't undo the failure to reach the playoffs, an achievement the club managed for three seasons in a row. The highest the Blasters can finish this season in the ISL is eighth in the table of 13 teams. But for that, they need a maximum of six points from the next two, against Mumbai and from the final fixture in Hyderabad on March 12.

"Disappointed that we didn't give them (fans) what they deserve," Blasters Interim Head Coach T G Purushothaman said in Kochi on Thursday. He was diplomatic as usual, claiming it was important for his side to perform "very, very, very well". "It is our last home match of the season and we want to finish it in a good manner," Purushothaman, the first Malayali to manage the Blasters, said.

But finishing on a high won't be that easy because Petr Kratky's Mumbai are one of the three clubs with a chance to claim the sixth and final playoff spot. A point in Kochi will ensure them the sixth spot, so as much as the Blasters want to win for pride, Mumbai must win for survival.

Win, lose or draw, the Blasters would need to do some serious introspection. They should answer a few questions, starting with the obvious: Was this season a failure? Clearly, they might also want to know what went wrong. Did it go wrong mid-season when the club sacked head coach Mikael Stahre, or did it go wrong from the start when they decided to roll with the available defence and a goalkeeper struggling for confidence?

Could they have done anything more to improve the situation during the course of the season? The club need not shout out the answers, but they must find the solution, at least for the sake of the thousands who wear yellow and would return next season to the stadium they call home. The match against Mumbai City will kick-off at 7.30 pm and can be watched live on JioHotstar.