I-League 2020-21: Gokulam Kerala aim to return to winning ways against NEROCA FC

Kalyani: Desperate to improve upon their defence, Gokulam Kerala would look to bounce back from defeat in their previous match when they face NEROCA FC in an I-League match on Monday. A 0-2 loss against Aizawl FC in their last match pushed Gokulam Kerala down to ninth in points table. With only one win and two losses so far, the Kerala-based club faces another challenge in high flying NEROCA FC. Head coach Vincenzo Annese admitted that Gokulam will have to do better in defence in the coming matches. “We are a bit nervous defensively in the opening minutes. Against Chennai and Aizawl, we were not at our best defensively. We need to play with more confidence at the back and keep our composure while defending counter-attacks,” he said. “Against NEROCA, we have to play compact as a unit, because their attacking style of play is very quick and they can catch us off-guard,” he added. The coach said while attacking also, his side will need to convert the chances. “We cannot get complacent in front of goal. We created three clear chances against Aizawl and since we did not take them, we lost. We cannot let this continue.” Fifth-placed NEROCA would aim for nothing less than a win to propel themselves into the upper echelons of the league table. “We have to give our cent per cent on the field. I cannot predict the result but I can assure you that we will work extra hard to get a win against Gokulam,” head coach Gift Raikhan said. “They (Gokulam Kerala FC) are a very strong side with good attacking play and they have a lot of quality in the team as well. But I believe that we would have to be stronger than them and play with confidence,” he added.