Gokulam Kerala are among the teams in contention for the I-League title on the competition’s final day. The Kerala-based side are one of three hoping to be crowned champions once the proceedings are over.
Vincenzo Alberto Annese, the head coach of Gokulam Kerala, has declared that should his side win the I-League title, they will do so by playing his attacking football. Italian told ESPN he has tried to instil the same mindset in his players from the beginning of his spell.
From day one, I have told everyone that I’m not happy if I don’t see goals during the game. I want to enjoy watching my team play,
he said.
Gokulam finished fifth in the regular season, accumulating 16 points via five wins and a draw. They scored the most goals in the competition by far at that stage – 20. However, they only managed could only manage a goal difference of +6.
They have retained their golden touch during the play-off phase and have scored 27 goals. Having won eight of their 14 games so far, Annese’s men sit atop the table with 26 points, jointly with TRAU and Churchill Brothers.
They will face TRAU in their final match of the campaign in what could potentially be the title decider. A win against their opponents, even by a narrow margin, should virtually secure them the title owing to their far superior goal difference. However, coach Annese expects his side not to be defensive and approach the game as they had done all season.
I’ve already told my guys one thing — we have made a record of goals scored by Gokulam in one season, of wins, and of points, so far. It’s by playing this kind of football that we got here. Never forget that,
he said.
We will approach this game as any other game, we will try to push them deep into their own halves, to impose our rhythm and we will try to score first up, early.
Gokulam Kerala take on TRAU FC in the I-League on Saturday, March 27. The game will be held in Kolkata starting from 5 PM and will be key in deciding the I-League 2020/21 champion.
