Mikael Stahre shares opinion on Kerala Blasters' title hopes, last-minute goals, and Indian Football's future

The tactician is confident that his title-winning experience can help his side to their maiden title.

Mikael Stahre, the 48-year-old Swedish head coach of Kerala Blasters FC, shared his perspective on different aspects of Indian football and other issues.

In a press conference at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, in this Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 the mentor shared his opinion on the last-minute goals that have impacted the results of almost eight matches so far.

On last-minute goals in the ISL

So far in the ISL, 13 goals have been scored after the 85th minute. Among those, some teams have secured three points by winning the game, while two teams, Mumbai City FC and FC Goa, succeeded in earning a single point each.

Kerala Blasters FC and NorthEast United are two teams that have each won one game and suffered a loss due to late goals in their previous two matches. In response to a question from Khel Now, Mikael Stahre stated that the ISL is a competitive league. “This is a competitive league, and every game is quite close. You have to be focused until the final signal. I don’t know if the fitness is totally there. There can be also some physical things as well. Maybe you’re not completely fresh,” opined Mikael Stahre.

Adding further, he said, “Of course, you’re not completely fresh, but maybe you’re not completely trained for 90 minutes. It will take some time to get used to playing 90 minutes, and there can also be one or other reasons. Teams have been okay playing friendly games and tournaments, but it’s the other thing with a league game, there’s more stress and more tension to handle.”

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On leading Kerala Blasters to their first silverware 

Mikael Stahre won the Swedish League Title and Swedish Cup double in 2009 with AIK. After that, he guided IFK Göteborg to a Swedish Cup win in 2014. When asked by Khel Now about the chances of Kerala Blasters winning their first silverware, he said, “First of all, it’s a fine line between winning and losing. When ISL was founded in 2014, it is a little bit more than 10 years, it’s quite a short history.”

“I’m completely sure that Kerala Blasters will win a title really soon. How soon, we don’t know. But of course, I’m here to win as many games as possible. It’s an advantage to know what it requires to win a title, that’s the experience, and that’s why I’m here,” Mikael Stahre said confidently.

On Indian football’s journey and present situation 

When Khel Now asked Mikael Stahre about his experience in the Indian football scenario and the journey of Indian football to the World Cup, he answered by saying, “First of all, you need a good generation of players. You need also players with experience from other countries than India, maybe in Asia and outside Asia.”

“I think also that the academy and the grassroots football is really important for every country that has reached the next level. But it’s not a quick fix. But of course, with this big population, it’s reachable,” Mikael Stahre concluded.

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