Opinion: What should Kerala Blasters be looking for in a new head coach?

The Kochi-based outfit are on the hunt for their tenth head coach in only their seventh year of existence.

It has been nearly a month since the Indian Super League (ISL) wrapped up its 2020-21 season. Mumbai City took home the title after beating ATK Mohun Bagan 2-1 in the final. Earlier, the Islanders had also topped the league stage, thereby qualifying for the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2021-22 season. While the likes of Mumbai, NorthEast United, FC Goa and Hyderabad FC impressed, Kerala Blasters and Odisha FC disappointed by finishing in the bottom spots on the table.

A tale of woe

Among them, the tale of Kerala Blasters is slightly more disheartening to narrate. Their fans have been continuously subjected to below-par performances for the past few seasons. In fact, the Kochi-based side have not qualified for the playoffs since 2016 and finished in the bottom half of the table all these years. To add insult to injury, they have also switched personnel way too often. This has led to an absolutely zero sense of continuity within the side.

Ahead of the 2020-21 season, the Yellow Army appointed Kibu Vicuna as the new head coach replacing Eelco Schattorie. Vicuna hence became their ninth head coach and was given a two-year deal. This led to fans hoping that the club are finally discarding their old habits by bringing in a sense of longevity to their plans. However, things changed within a short time and in February, the former I-League-winning tactician also bid adieu to the team. The Blasters are now on the hunt for their tenth head coach and the club are yet to celebrate their seventh birthday.

It is quite evident that the Blasters have made plenty of mistakes in their recruitment of head coaches. That said, today Khel Now takes a look at the important pointers that the club should consider ahead of appointing a new tactician:

3. Defensive organization

"Attack wins you games, while defence wins you titles." These are the words of the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, who won 38 trophies during his 26-year stint at Manchester United. A true pioneer of the sport, the 79-year-old knew very well the importance of having an organized defence. His numbers prove that he was duly rewarded as well, for his approach.

Over the past few seasons, the coaches at Kerala Blasters had either paid very little attention to the defence or had a defensive strategy that did not work for the side. Vicuna, for instance, setup his defence in such a way that they would play the ball out from the back and maintain a high backline in most cases. However, the defenders that the team had were not ball-playing in nature and often found it hard to track back when the situation demanded it. As a result, they conceded 36 goals across 20 games in ISL 2020-21.

2. Optimum utilisation of resources

It goes without saying that KBFC are not among the richest teams in the ISL. They certainly do not have the spending abilities of ATK Mohun Bagan or Mumbai City FC.

Therefore, while ATKMB or MCFC can go to great lengths and retain their best players or sign new ones that are equally good, Kerala Blasters cannot adopt the same mentality in the league. It is a slightly difficult situation to be in as they are still supposed to challenge the others for honours. Therefore, the policy of using resources effectively acquires prime importance.

The Yellow Army can maybe take a leaf out of the books of Hyderabad FC and NorthEast United - as both teams did well in the 2020-21 ISL season, despite facing similar issues. Manolo Marquez and Khalid Jamil are prime examples of how coaches should work with the available resources.

1. Policy of working with young players

In the past few months, Kerala Blasters signed and extended contracts of many young players in their squad. Sahal Abdul Samad and Rahul KP are on deals that stretch till 2025. While Gotimayum Muktasana, Sanjeev Stalin, Ruivah Hormipam, Jeakson Singh, and others are also on similar long-term deals.

For their next coach, Kerala Blasters should identify someone who is keen to work with these youngsters. Most of them are yet to reach their peak in terms of ability and have much more to offer.

A case in point here would be how former KBFC coach Eelco Schattorie worked with Sahal in the 2019-20 season. After promising fans that he would make the 23-year-old India's best midfielder, Schattorie played him out of his primary position and often reduced him to bench appearances. There may be many factors that influenced the Dutch coach's decisions in this case. But, it also took a toll on the Kannur-based player's form and confidence.

Credit where it is due, it is Kibu Vicuna who played an important role in Sahal's resurgence in the 2020-21 season. The Spaniard identified his abilities as a wide No.10 and the player starred in that role throughout the season. Despite that, he is yet to perform at his best and only a good coach who can work well with young players can solve issues like these.

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