Kerala Blasters will reverse last year's performance- Steve Coppell

The Englishman returns to management after a hiatus…

Kerala Blasters FC Head Coach Steve Coppell and marquee player Aaron Hughes met the press ahead of the team’s ISL 3 opener against NorthEast United FC in Guwahati today. This is Coppell’s first time in India and the Englishman said it was an interesting journey with his team from Trivandum to Thailand, Kolkata and finally to Guwahati. Speaking about the team the former Manchester United player said he was leading a diverse group of players from different leagues and countries and it was a unique experience for him. He explained that his main task in the early weeks was to get the team pulling in the same direction and to get them performing as a cohesive unit. Coppell said that he was adopting a wait and watch approach in the first few games before settling on his plans. Terming the Indian Super League as a big challenge he said his team can’t do worse than they did last year finishing bottom of the league. Marquee player Aaron Hughes said he is very excited to play in the ISL and is feeling optimistic ahead of the new season. "Honestly, I didn’t know Indian football and Indian footballers much before coming here and watched the Indian league on TV to understand a bit about Indian conditions," he said.