ISL: Redemption or relapse for Kerala Blasters

10 seasons, 3 time runner-ups, twice play-off candidates, 5 times nowhere near the top.

That's the Kerala Blasters' record in the Indian Super League to date. Arguably one of the biggest fanbases of the country has not had its moment of glory to beam about yet.

Following the end of the previous season, the club chose to make a call that should mark the change of an era: The Ivan Vukomanovic era. The Serb was relieved of his role ahead of the new season, and the mantle of the ship was given to Mikael Stahre and co.

KBFC squad underwent many changes over the off-season, especially considering the departures notably with Dimitrios Diamantakos and Jeakson Singh moving over to East Bengal.

The squad held their pre-season in Thailand, followed by participation in the Durand Cup where they remained grouped. There has been a lot of noise around the club, with the fanbase visibly frustrated with the slow movements in the transfer windows.

Kerala boasted one of the youngest squads in the whole league in recent years, and it still seems to be the case. A set of homegrown core players with a few experienced veterans and splendid foreigners make up this new-look Blasters squad.

Eyes on the Coach

Being a coach is a tough job; replacing an appreciated one is even tougher. At Kochi, just like the players, the coach has to win over the fans as well.

It's probably unfair that a lot of the measuring sticks put up against Stahre will be that of the previous coach, but such was the Serb's impact then.

The job Stahre is got is probably the most rewarding, yet painstaking of all: get some silverware. That's been the demand, that's been the ask, and as far as Mikael's responses have been, everyone is on the same page.

Foreign signings

Kerala let off long-time defensive lynchpin Marko Leskovic and last season's Golden Boot winner Dimitri Diamantakos. Winger Daisuke Sakai and Winter signing Fedor Cernych were also off after the end of their contracts. In ISL, the transfer window is often more dramatic than the actual season and here too it did not disappoint (in terms of drama).

Noah Sadaoui came in first. Arguably the best winger in the league, Noah offers that pure, direct, winger threat, something which KBFC has lacked in recent years. Then came Alexandre Coeff, an experienced French center-back, defensive midfielder, and right-back hybrid; Coeff is touted as the replacement for Leskovic. Albeit, his versatility may see him used in a variety of roles through the course of the season.

The long-awaited striker signing was the latest. Jesus Jimenez came in to don the '9', almost 90 days after Diamantakos had left.

The issue with the striker signing was its timing. Jesus was only signed and announced after Kerala finished their pre-season and got KO'd out of the Durand Cup, meaning the recruit will not have even played 90 minutes of competitive football with his new team before going into the league. There were also logistical issues with having (still) recruiting 7 foreigners as Jaushua Sotirio is still on the club's pay list.

Domestic Movements

On the domestic front, signings were conducted in a much more serene fashion. Goalkeeper Nora Fernandes and winger R Lalthanamawia were signed from Aizawl, and Likmabam Rakesh came in from NEROCA.

Bikash Singh returned from Mohemmadans only to report back at the Kolkata outfit(again, on loan) following pre-season with the Blasters. Young, talented Indian keeper Som Kumar was also signed to the Blasters camp following Som's exploits in the Slovenian youth circuits.

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Nora Fernandes, Sachin Suresh, Som Kumar.

Defenders: Aibanbha Dohling, Alexandre Coeff, Hormipam Ruivah, Milos Drincic (VC), Muhd. Saheef, Naocha Singh, Prabir Das, Pritam Kotal, Sandeep Singh.

Midfielders: Adrian Luna (C), Bryce Miranda, Danish Farooq, Freddy Lallawmawma, Mohd. Aimen, Mohd. Azhar, Lalthanmawia, Saurav Mandal, Yoihenba Meitei, Vibin Mohanan.

Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Jesus Jiminez, Kwame Peprah, Noah Sadaoui, Rahul KP, Sreekuttan MS.

Questions left to answer

The squad was weakened by the departures it had endured. Based on that context, the Blasters squad seems slightly shallow for depth in certain positions such as right-back. The lack of a proven defensive midfielder who excels in duels has also been highlighted. Albeit, these issues can be papered over due to the versatility of the existing players; it remains to be seen whether makeshift set-ups are adequate to add up to the much-awaited and expected silverware at the end.

Key Player

For most, this is Luna and they are not wrong. But, a case can be made for Noah Sadaoui. In the absence of Diamantakos, the lack of a consistent goalscorer is vivid in the Blaster's attack. Noah is the single exception to that.

True, he may be not an outright striker, but one cannot deny his prowess in front of goal. During his time in ISL alone, he has managed to get 20 goals and 14 assists; that's 0.92 G/A per game! Almost a goal contribution in every game!

What to expect

Kerala seems to be a new-look side under a new-look management. While they have their undeniable quality, the gaps in the squad and the expected adaptation period that the team may take under the new leadership could prompt a slow start. The time taken by the coaches to figure out the best way to approach this Indian playground and all of its aspects would be crucial in determining the course of the Blasters' season.