With just a week to go for the start of the ISL 2022-23 season, the Yellow Army is buzzing again. After two years of playing behind closed doors, the Kerala Blasters are ready to feel the presence of their famous fan base. The last season saw an impressive run, which, however, ended in a heartbreaking loss in the final. A devastating third loss in ISL finals. Will this season finally see India's most supported club claim its maiden ISL title? THE WEEK caught up with head coach Ivan Vukomanovic to talk about the upcoming season and more. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:
Q/ The fans will be back. How much of a difference will that make?
A/ It will make a huge difference. Last two seasons, the teams were playing without fans in the bubble. It was awful, playing in that kind of atmosphere without fans. It was not nice; living in those conditions, locked down in one place for six months. It was quite a life experience.
Having fans back is an excellent thing. Because we play football for fans. Especially, when you have of this kind of support. You just want to play for them. You want to go to the crowded stadium and give everything for those fans because they deserve it.
Q/ You had said that last season, the team did not have much bench strength. Are you happy with the transfers this time? Did you miss out on targets in any positions?
A/ We are happy. Last year, it was about arriving, and recognising the quality we had. When you arrive at a club, you have to take into consideration that the players are under contract. You have to use what you have. You never know; some of them can show you some extra quality. It was the case in our situation. Many of them performed on a higher level than they did in previous seasons. We were happy about it.
But, every club is going through an evolution. You want to improve certain things and an unavoidable fact in a football club is that players come and go. The coaches as well. This is how it goes in all sports. So, as a football club, we made some moves in the transfer window.
We are very happy with the players we signed. We have a good team, a good atmosphere. There is no guarantee, of course. In football, you win, you lose, you draw. Anything can happen. But, we are optimistic. We have a good group of people.
Q/ When we talk about the signings, we have to talk about the new Ivan (Kaliuzhnyi). What will he bring to the midfield?
A/ He will bring something that we didn’t have last year. I think last year, we were the only team in the ISL without a foreign player in central midfield. I remember everyone saying it won’t work. That an ISL team cannot perform at a high level without a foreign player in central midfield. Yet, we have seen our two players from central midfield—Jeakson and Puitea—get selected to the national team. We showed that the opposite was possible (by playing without a foreign central midfielder). Now, with Ivan Kaliuzhnyi, we have something we didn’t have. We don’t know how it will look like. We are optimistic and positive. But it (the signing) is like an extra weapon that you can bring on the pitch. And that kind of a thing can make a difference.
Q/ In the past, Blasters and other Indian teams have signed players who were more physical. Now, there seems to be more emphasis on technically sound players who can press. Has there been such a shift at Blasters after you took over?
A/ If you look at last year, yes. First of all, we were the youngest team in the league last year. We were the team that accumulated the most minutes for players under 21—the developmental players. We were playing different styles. We were playing many games in high pressing. Many games in a high rhythm, where we were scoring most goals. We conceded less goals. Our goalkeepers got golden gloves in the ISL and the developmental league. So, we showed the strength of the offensive side of our game and also the defensive side.
All are good players. All of them have knowledge. We just wanted to add some things like we are trying to do this year.
Football goes through evolution. Like in life, you have a new phone, you have a new car. So, every year, the teams and federations want to improve things and you see good examples. Somebody sees a good example, maybe in the world, maybe in the ISL and say, last year, they showed that it was possible. They showed that this kind of approach can be profitable. Let’s do it. We showed last year that it was possible, when nobody expected Kerala Blasters to reach the final.
I understand that at the start of the ISL, it was also part of marketing strategy to sign big names. But, at some moment, you have to switch and say now we have to go to quality. Because, we have to go to higher levels. So, now you see more and more teams trying to sign players who can perform at higher levels. Teams are starting to sign players who are more mobile, good in pressing, many other aspects. We are signing younger players. We want something different and we want to show it is possible. In football, you never know; that is the beauty of football. Like last year, we will give everything on the pitch in every game and with the support of our fans, we can get the results.
Q/ Talking about developmental players, Ruivah Hormipam had a strong season last year. He formed a strong partnership with Marko Leskovic. What are the qualities they have that complement each other?
A/ Respecting each other. Hormi is a young player who is a good listener. Marko Leskovic is an experienced player who sets a good example. When you are a young player who sees a senior player showing you the way, it has to be done. So, you follow those steps. Also, he (Hormipam) is not afraid to ask things when he finds it tough. That is a nice part of his character; his mentality. He wants to improve day by day. It is important to have that complementary duo. You can see that in the biggest teams in the world. One centre-back who is the organiser, more experienced. The other, maybe younger player, who is the fighter, having pace and everything. Last year, we chose that partnership. But, we must also not forget that we have another young player in Bijoy and a new experienced centre-back in Victor Mongil. So, we are very happy this year that we have double occupation of those positions. So, in any time, any player can fit into our team.
Q/ While Victor Mongil is an exciting signing, there are fears whether the Leskovic-Hormipam partnership will be broken and Hormipam's game time and development will be affected.
A/ These guys know there roles. The good thing in this situation is that whatever happens, it doesn’t matter who is playing. You have your positions covered. Victor is a great player. The rule in ISL is having only four foreign players on the pitch. The good thing in our team is that anybody can play at anytime. It depends on the opponent. It depends on the momentum and the situation. These boys understand each other and they are adopted to our way of working. They respect everything. There is no problem about that. So, nobody will stop anybody else in further development.
Q/ So, there is no reason for fans to be worried about the development of young Indian players?
A/ Absolutely not. Also, the youth and reserve teams are playing more games, including in the Durand Cup. In a few years, those boys will make the important steps towards the senior level. That is why every month, we take a couple of players from the B-team to train with us. We want them to feel what it means being with the first-team squad, training on high intensity. Because later when there is that step up towards the senior team, they don’t have to adapt. They will know what comes with it. You have to prepare the younger players step by step. You cannot jump to the senior level, which has been the case in some clubs and in some generations of players in India. In the football world, many national teams evolve through a process to reach the higher levels. That is why they are participating in the major tournaments. If you don’t have that you have no chance of participating in the major tournaments. So, we as a club want to give those boys the proper formation so that they have that evolution and became ready for 15-year career in senior football. These kind of things are very important, not only for our club, but for the national team as well. This is why we are not worried about further development of Hormipam or any other young player. We don’t want to be going around and just spending money. We can do that, but there is a process, a strategy (of developing youth) and in the long-term I am [confident] there will be results.
Q/ The preseason was disrupted by the FIFA action against India. How did you cope with it?
A/ We went to Dubai. And though we could not play those planned games, we found other opponents later. So, in the end everything was alright. We played a couple of games. It gave us the things we wanted to achieve. We had a really nice time in Dubai. Great accommodation and infrastructure. Great conditions for preseason.
Q/ So, the targets from preseason were met?
A/ Only those friendly games against strong teams (were missing). We wanted to compare our level with theirs. We did not have a chance to do that. As a coach, I also wanted to face those teams and just go a little bit out of our comfort zone, even get beaten. Because then you can work on the issues. But, anyway, we were happy with what we did. And we were happy seeing the boys training on a high intensity level, with huge motivation. Overall, we achieved the things we wanted.
Q/ Another player of whom fans have massive expectations is Sahal Abdul Samad. Before you took charge, he mostly played as a playmaker. You have used him as a wide midfielder and he has performed well. What was the thought-process behind this switch and do you see that as his role for this team going forward?
A/ Every player makes this kind of switch. He is now going through a period in his life where he is no longer a young talent. He is a responsible person now. He is a good person. I am very happy with him. Great family; I met his family as well. He realises the importance of taking that next step in his career and showing that with his quality, he can be an important part of the national team as well.
We did not change anything about his game. I like to say that we added something to his game. The intention was to put him in a situation were he had more space and time to play the way he was comfortable, without putting more pressure on him. And this gave him the freedom to perform the way he performed. Finding new movements, practising the timing of making runs into the box, we were very happy with his evolution. Not only him. We were sorry last year about Rahul K.P. getting injured. So, we have many young talented players we have already mentioned. And we hope this year that will be the case.
Q/ In the past, fans have been unhappy that some coaches did not get a contract extension. You have got an extension. What was your reaction? And what is your message to the fans?
A/ When we started talking about it, I said yes immediately. I said I don’t care about the financial aspect. It is not that important. I want to be here because of the project that we are building. I want to be part of it. So, I am really happy in Kerala. I think that these boys will perform even better with the fans in the stands.
To the fans I want to say that last year, we gave everything for this jersey and this badge. This year we will do the same. Every game, whatever happens, we will do the same so that we have no regrets after the game. We will give everything for them.