ISL 2017: Teddy Sheringham full of praise for Hitesh Sharma, lauds Berbatov

Kolkata, Nov 19: The start of the fourth season of the Indian Super League was expected to be on a more entertaining note that it has been. Both of the two games so far have ended in 0-0 score lines which will be a shame for the fans.

Especially, the first game of the season between Kerala Blasters and ATK was expected to be an entertainer but it failed to please the fans. This was the replay of last season’s final and the two teams are the strongest in the League as well.

A houseful crowd at Kochi witnessed a star-studded inaugural ceremony and were eagerly waiting for the match. But to their disappointment, except for a few exciting moves from both teams, the match ended a 0-0 draw.

After the game, Kerala Blasters coach René Meulensteen said that it was a good game for both the teams. Rene was impressed by the magnificent inauguration ceremony and the excitement of the crowd. He seemed satisfied with the fact that his team had kept the clean sheet.

When asked about the performance of star strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Iain Hume, Meulensteen said, "We had created some good chances but failed to convert it. It is still early days for the team. The players needed to know how to play with each other on the pitch."

He said, "The conditions on the training pitch and the game on the ground are different. Here, it is more hot and humid, which is a difficult condition for players to play."

Kerala's star striker Iain Hume, on the other hand, believed that although both the teams played well, neither wanted to lose the match, which is why it ended with a 0-0 result.

"The two teams didn't want to lose the match and gave a tough fight. Even though ATK had better possession, we played equally well."

However, ATK manager Teddy Sheringham was full of concern about the weather in Kochi.

"It was difficult to play in such a hot and humid climate, but the players gave all their effort for the game," he said.

Sheringham had a few special praises in store for young midfielder Hitesh Sharma. He said, "Hitesh was very good in today's game. He had a very good positional sense, and he would be a star when he reaches 25."

"Berbatov has still got the quality, and a small mistake from the defence could bring out the quality in him," said Sheringham.