Vibin hopes to learn from his mistakes in his new role

KOCHI: Vibin Mohanan made quite an impression playing the dual role of a defensive midfielder and a central midfielder for Kerala Blasters in the last two seasons under Ivan Vukomanovic. But new Blasters' coach Mikael Stahre brought him on as a substitute in the No.10 role in his team's opening fixture against Punjab FC last Sunday.
Though he was not as effective as Mohammed Aimen, whom he replaced at the beginning of the second half, the 21-year-old from Thrissur is confident that his performance will improve in the new position.
"It's true that I made a lot of mistakes in our last game. When I play as a No. 10, I need to stay close to the striker. But against Punjab, I frequently dropped back to collect the ball, leaving the striker alone, making it easier for the opposing team to defend. Since I played in midfield for the last two seasons and my role was to collect the ball and pass it forward, that mentality still lingers in my mind, which is the primary reason for my errors. I will improve as I start to play in that position more often," feels Vibin.
Vibin also mentioned that adapting to the new 4-3-3 formation was difficult. "The coach has introduced several new tactics. Initially, it was a bit challenging to adapt to them. All the players were accustomed to the 4-4-2 formation. During the pre-season in Thailand, we faced some difficulties," he added.
Vibin revealed that the biggest disappointment of his nascent career was missing out on the India camp due to an injury last season. "Playing for India has always been a dream. Receiving an India camp call-up at a young age was a reward for my hard work. Unfortunately, I got injured at that time. I was upset then, and it took me some time to recover," he revealed.
Vibin admits that there is a gulf in class between players like him and those who play in European leagues. "I attended a proper football camp only when I was eleven. However, players in Europe start at the age of seven or eight. So, for a player like me, there is a gap of about four or five years when compared to foreign footballers. This difference is significant in the development of a footballer," he added.