Kerala Blasters coach Steve Coppell described the 1-0 defeat to Atletico de Kolkata as 'cruel' on a team that worked hard and gave it their all in a tight and physical game. While losing to a deflected shot on goal seems a bitterly disappointing result for the Blasters - their fourth successive ISL defeat to ATK - it also underlines deeper issues they need to address.
This Kerala team suffers from the same frailties that they showed last season -- a discernible lack of speed when going forward, and the inability of all players to last the 90 minutes in the heat and humidity of Kochi. They tried to remedy the latter this year, with their pre-season partly in Thailand and a short stint in Kolkata in September.
There is an aura about the atmosphere inside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, located at the heart of the city in Kaloor, which lends itself to drama. Built with a Coliseum-like parapet that undulates and envelopes the stands, the heat and humidity of the bowl-like structure add to the pressure created by the energy of fans, always numbering in excess of 50,000.
This might explain why one of India's favourite sporting sons Sachin Tendulkar has his only two five-wicket hauls in international cricket at this venue. Or why he chose to associate with the ISL franchise from this city, and why they named themselves Kerala Blasters, almost as homage to him.
In 2014, Kerala were able to build an aura of invincibility about this ground that led to it being called a 'fortress' in that ISL. Across eight games that season, Kerala conceded just two goals. They weren't the most effective or attractive moving forward, but then opposition teams just couldn't pick holes in what was a top-class defence, much of which has remained the same going into 2016.
2015 began well, with a 3-1 dismantling of NorthEast United. However, the rest of the home season was forgettable and even depressing. There was just one further win, the team conceded 11 in all, and five of them were smashed in by FC Goa in a match also remembered for a red card to Spanish midfielder Josu Currias. Josu missed the first game of 2016 away to NorthEast as he was still serving his suspension from a moment of indiscipline in that final bow at home last season.
The big talking point ahead of 2016 has centred on the squad selection and the lack of a specialist left-back at the moment for the team. It is further compounded by the absence of CK Vineeth, the multi-faceted left-footed player who is away with Bengaluru FC on AFC Cup duty. Vineeth was one of at least six players who were tried in the left-back position in 2015 by the three British coaches -- Peter Taylor, Trevor Morgan and Terry Phelan -- still seeking their perfect defensive combination.
One of them was Josu, and head coach Steve Coppell brought the Spaniard back into that position for Wednesday night, hoping that he would do the job of containing attacks from Sameehg Doutie, who had given the left-sided players of Chennaiyin FC a torrid time in their opening match in Kolkata on Sunday. Josu was one of six changes overall, as the midfield underwent a near-overhaul, and with marquee player Aaron Hughes away on international duty, Sandesh Jhingan came back to a more central role, with Pratik Chowdhary getting his first game of the season.
The defending for most part in this match was tidy from Kerala -- indeed Graham Stack was only called upon once in the first 45 minutes to effect a save from a Doutie shot aimed to go across the face of goal.
Kerala could even call themselves unlucky on either end of the pitch. First, when Javi Lara's shot took a deflection off Jhingan and made it impossible for Stack to keep the ball out of the net. The second was a marginal decision when substitute Kervens Belfort appeared to get a nudge from Lalrindika Ralte in the Kolkata box even as he was looking to create some space for himself. The referee raced over to where he had taken the tumble, and flashed the yellow card at the Haitian for simulation.
Throughout the game, there were moments of individual brilliance, particularly from Antonio German, who had made a strong finish to the 2015 season. If Iain Hume, who now wears the white and red of the 2014 champions, was their talisman in the inaugural season, it was German and his English strike partner Chris Dagnall, who worked their socks off for the team last year. German seems to have carried on from there, but his finishing touch has been missing thus far.
Another thing this team has always suffered from is over-dependence on what's sometimes called 'route one football', wherein the most predictable way to get an attack going is to lob a ball into the opposition half and hope that the physicality of the advanced players can help nick a goal.
To be fair to Coppell, it came agonisingly close to working in the fag end of either half, with Mehtab Hossain the provider on both occasions. If Chowdhary found himself inches away from heading home in the 42nd minute, it was captain Cedric Hengbart who got a header in off a corner in injury time, but his header had everything right apart from the direction.
However, there was evident cramping among their midfielders, though there's no denying that on the night, they gave their heart and soul on the field against a side that is superior in experience, fitness, skill and technique to them.
Maybe on some days, that is just not enough.
And maybe, a change in fortunes could be just around the corner.