Kerala Blasters set to appoint Ivan Vukomanovic as head coach

The tactician is widely known for his stints with Belgian giants Standard Liege.

Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Kerala Blasters are all set to appoint Ivan Vukomanovic as the new head coach, Khel Now can confirm. The Serbian tactician will replace Kibu Vicuna, who parted ways with the club in February following a string of poor results in ISL 2020-21.“Ivan Vukomanovic is the new head coach of Kerala Blasters. The decision has already been made and the club will make their official announcement soon,” a source close to developments informed Khel Now.

We also understand that the Blasters' management are currently in talks to take decisions on the team’s pre-season training. The Yellow Army are likely to hold their pre-season training overseas - in Qatar and one other middle-eastern country.

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Ivan Vukomanovic’s career

Vukomanovic is a former defender himself, known widely for his stints with Ligue 1 giants Bordeaux and Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp. He also had loan stints with Bundesliga club FC Koln, Serbian side Red Star Belgrade and Russian giants Dynamo Moscow. 

The 43-year-old began his coaching career at Belgian Pro League club Standard Liege, who roped him in as the assistant to Guy Luzon ahead of the 2013-14 season. During this time, they also played in the Europa League after winning all of their games in the qualifying stages. Vukomanovic took charge as the head coach in October 2014, following Luzon’s exit. He managed the club in 19 matches, till February 2015.

One of his most impressive results during this period was a 0-0 draw against Spanish giants Sevilla in the Europa League group stage. It was also his first game in charge of the Belgian side after Luzon left.

In 2016, Vukomanovic took charge of Slovan Bratislava, a Slovak Super Liga club. He lost just eight out of 34 matches in the 2016-17 season, helping them to a second-place finish in the league. The tactician also oversaw a title-winning run in the Slovak Cup, where his side remained unbeaten throughout the competition.

He performed decently in the following season as well, with just five defeats from 22 games. Following a draw against FK Senica in October 2017, he parted ways with the club.

After a two-year hiatus, Vukomanovic returned to coaching with Cyprus top division club Apollon Limassol. He led them in just four matches, winning and drawing once each. Interestingly, Kerala Blasters’ Facundo Pereyra was a part of his team then. The likes of Cy Goddard, Miku Fedor and Lluis Sastre played against them as well.

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The 43-year-old hasn’t coached anywhere since October 2019.

Kerala Blasters’ pre-season preparations

After finishing at the 10th spot in the 2020-21 season, Kerala Blasters are set to undergo a few major changes. We have learned that they are likely to part ways with all of their overseas players, with some domestic names also set to follow suit.

The club have already signed Sanjeev Stalin, Ruivah Hormipam, Vincy Barretto and Harmanjot Khabra and are in talks with more players ahead of the 2021-22 season. Kerala Blasters reached the finals of the league twice in the first three years, but have since slipped down to mediocrity. The impending appointment of Ivan Vukomanovic as head coach would be a first step for the club, in a bid to put an end to their current misfortune.

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