‘Playing without fans is difficult’ : Kerala Blasters defender Jeakson Singh opens up about his struggles in this year’s ISL
Follow Us
Jeakson Singh
Kerala Blasters defender Jeakson Singh has opened up about their Indian Super League season and his experiences at playing as a centre back role. The youngster has also been called up to represent the Indian National football Team this time under Igor Stimac.
India will be playing against Oman and the United Arab Emirates in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers on the 25th and 29th of March respectively. Bein sports have bought the telecasting rights from the All India football federation AIFF.
Jeakson Singh can’t wait to play with Chettri and Jhingan in the national team
Kerala Blasters had an extremely dismal season this year having finished second from the bottom. Jeakson Singh himself had a very different year and was made to play as a centre back at times- a role which he isn’t vest suited. Singh says that the position is similar to playing as a defensive midfielder but requires more experience and knowledge of the game. Jeakson Singh was also deployed under former coach Kibu Vicuna as a full back.
“It’s similar to a defensive midfield position but it’s a bit more risky to play in defence (as a centre back). You need more experience to play in that position. A defensive midfield role is much more like a free role without much pressure. But since I have trained as a defender before, I was ready to play wherever I got a chance to play,” Singh continued.
He is a regular campaigner for the Kerala Blasters and has now become quite experienced. Singh is excited to be playing under new coach Igor Stimac for the National Team. He says that it’s very exciting as he will be able to share the dressing room with legends like Sandesh Jhingan and Sunil Chettri.
He also added that playing without fans is a whole different ball game and something which he wasn’t used to. Due to the Covid 19 regulations, fans weren’t being allowed inside the stadiums and that does affect players mentally.
At one point, there was less pressure this season. Playing in front of fans invites more pressure. But there is a different kind of pressure. On the ground, it felt like we were playing friendly matches but we knew that we were playing for the points. Motivation is more playing in front of fans,” Singh admitted.
Stay Updated!
Ishandeb Tula
(380 Articles Published)