Kibu Vicuna: My favourite player in the ISL is Sahal Abdul Samad

The Spaniard showed his enthusiasm to coach the Blasters next season, revealing some of his tactical preferences.

The ongoing nationwide lockdown following the global of COVID-19 panndemic has been particularly tough for fans of Indian football. Yet, when popular anchor and commentator Anant Tyagi hosted the latest episode of ISL's 'Let’s Football Live' on Instagram with Kerala Blasters' new head coach Kibu Vicuna, it turned out be a good entertainer for the fans.

Right from the beginning of the 45-minute long interview, Kibu Vicuna, who logged in via Kerala Blasters' official Instagram account rather than his personal account, showed that he is really keen to start working with the Men in Yellow. The Spaniard also revealed that he was stuck in India until the beginning of May due to the ongoing lockdown and it was only about 10 days ago when he was finally allowed to return to his home in Madrid.

"It was a bit strange. We played and won our last match against Aizawl FC on 10th March. Four matches were remaining, but by then we had already won the league (with an unassailable lead). Then came the lockdown and in April we were declared champions after the rest of the season got cancelled. It still took me a few weeks to get permission to return home," he said.

Despite being relatively young at 48 years of age, Vicuna has already spent two-thirds of his life coaching football teams! "I started coaching when I was 16 years old," he said, before adding, "I was playing and also training the junior players of my university team (University of Navarra) simultaneously."

"I started my football career playing futsal. It is quite popular in Spain. Later, I switched to fut8 (8-a-side football) and finally, regular football. But, soon I realized that coaching was actually my passion. After coaching my university team for a while, I was called to lead the Osasuna National Youth League team and from there, I went on to manage a few clubs in Spain and Poland. Finally, about 18 years ago, I entered mainstream coaching after picking my UEFA Pro Licence."

"At Osasuna, I had the opportunity to work with Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Athletic Bilbao's Raul Garcia. Back then they were very young players and I was involved in their development. I've also worked with great coaches like Jan Urban, Mikel Ozcoidi and Josu Sesma," he went on.

When asked about the coaches that he looks up to, Kibu Vicuna said that no-one has inspired him like Pep Guardiola. "He may or may not be winning - but we can be sure that he is always bringing innovations to his team. His Barcelona was the best team I've ever seen," he said.

"Other coaches like Vicente del Bosque, Diego Simeone and Marcelo Bielsa have also played good roles in my development. Bielsa is a genius. Simeone's work with Atletico Madrid's defence can never be ignored. Same goes with Del Bosque and his involvement in the Spanish national team's 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euro success."

Tyagi went on to ask about his preparation for the upcoming season with the Blasters. The coach then revealed that as he returned to his home only a few days ago, he is taking things easy for the time being.

"I came back from India very recently and I want to take a little bit of rest. So, I want to rest myself for one or two weeks, before I start seeing videos of other teams and coaches. I'd have loved to take a break from Indian football by observing the best teams in Spain right now, but that is also not possible because of Coronavirus."

"I usually love to go and watch team training here, to find out how coaches prepare their teams. Hopefully, I can do that soon enough," he added.

"After the 2019-20 I-League season, I received a phone call from Kerala Blasters' new sporting director (Karolis Skinkys). I also had a chat with the club's CEO (Viren D'Silva) - after speaking to both of them, I came to the conclusion that we could create a good project and a good team with them next season," Vicuna said, when asked about his reasons for joining the Men in Yellow.

"I am also aware of the amazing support that the club has garnered across India over the years. Overall, it seems to me like a very good challenge - not only for the sake of my own improvement, but also for the club themselves."

The Spanish coach also revealed that youngsters would have a major role at the Kochi-based club next season. "We are trying to create a good team according to the current situation and also based on the available budget. I am also planning to work with the club's young players, just like I did at Mohun Bagan last season."

He added, "I was able to improve the likes of Sk Sahil and Subha Ghosh last season - and I intend to do the same with a few of the youngsters at Blasters. I've already watched a few games of their Reserves team. The club definitely has many talented youngsters. I look forward to using their help to integrate my possession-based playing style into the team. And I believe that playing that way would help the club get better results."

"I also watched all of Kerala Blasters' matches from last season. I've seen that their attack and defence lacked balance at times. I think that I can change that. We need a good attacking team, but also have to prepare for defence," Vicuna said, when questioned about what he felt are the main problems faced currently by his new club.

"I also like playing from the back, pressing forward when we lose possession - but that also changes depending on the kind of players that I have to work with. Ideally, I like to have possession, play more in the opponents' half and create more scoring opportunities. I did it at Mohun Bagan - if you check, you will see that we had fewer shots on target than our opponents in only one game - and I intend to do the same at Blasters," he added.

The 48-year-old also observed that out of Blasters' 18 matches in 2019-20, they enjoyed more possession than their opponents in 16. "But, that is not all," he explained. "It's what you do with the ball that counts. So, we need to focus on creating more chances. Another thing that caused a problem for them last season were injuries. We have a good medical staff now, so that will also change. I hope my players are keeping themselves fit right now as well, so that we jump into action as soon as this lockdown ends."

Speaking about the club captains, Kibu Vicuna said: "I know Sandesh (Jhingan) couldn't play as he was injured. As for (Bartholomew) Ogbeche, he was one of the top scorers of the 2019-20 ISL. I will definitely acknowledge their contributions when I select the captain for the next season."

Tyagi then asked him about the Kochi-outfit's potential signings and he replied, "I cannot reveal names now, but one youngster from Mohun Bagan is on his way to the club. He worked under me last season. Speaking about the team as such, right now they do have a good mix of both young players as well as experienced stars. The likes of Nongdamba Naorem, Jeakson Singh, Sahal (Abdul Samad) and Rahul KP bring youth to the side, while Ogbeche and Co. bring experience."

"My favourite player in the ISL right now is Sahal," he went on. "Sahal's quality surprised me. He is a fantastic player and is one of the best Indian stars right now. I also like Prabir Das, the right-back of ATK," he stated.

Tyagi ended the interview by asking Kibu Vicuna to address the fans with a parting message. "In the upcoming season of the ISL I think our biggest challenge would be to create a good team with a good style, a team that everyone will feel comfortable with. But, I am sure that we are going to do well, I have a lot of confidence in the team and the management," he responded.

"To the fans, thank you very much for the support. We need the best from you next season as well. We - the coaches, players and the fans - can work together to build a team that everyone will be proud of," concluded Kibu Vicuna.