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MATCH PREVIEW – KERALA BLASTERS VS CHENNAIYIN FC

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Kerala blasters will lock horns with our southern rivals Chennaiyin FC on 26th February 2022 on a
battle to win back the confidence. Both teams are returning from a defeat and will be striving to regain their confidence by a win.

‘Marina Machans’, who have failed to register a win in their last 6 outings will be all set to give out
everything on the field to win their next 2 matches. Closing the season on a winning
note will be the prime target for coach Syed Sabir Pasha too.

Whereas, Kerala blasters have a must win match to secure the semi-final spot. After a dream run this
season, Ivan Vukomanovic’s men will not be satisfied with anything lesser than a win. Returning from a
last-minute draw against ATK Mohun Bagan, Kerala Blasters fought hard and went down against
Hyderabad FC in the last match. As the season is approaching its closure, each win counts for the
“YELLOW ARMY’.

Availability of Rahul KP will open up options to add more fire power in wing attack for Blasters.
Also, Soraisam Sandeep Singh returning from the suspension makes the defence unit stronger.
However, the man in charge Coach Ivan Vukomanovic and his game plans will remain to play the crucial part in
the MEN IN YELLOW’s performance on feild. When the likes of Aridan luna, Vincy Barretto, Alvaro Vasquez and
Sahal Abdul Samad step in to field on a must win game, it will be interesting to watch how the
Chennaiyin FC defence will be able to contain them.

Kerala Blasters Custodian Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, who have impressed even the opponent team
with a spectacular double save in last match is definitely at his best

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall, in the Indian super league, CHENNAIYIN FC oversee the fixture with 6 victories out of the 17
times we met. 7 games saw both teams sharing points and KERALA BLASTERS secured wins in
remaining 4 encounters.

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT.

Aridan luna who is in blistering form will be the player to watch out for.

Vincy Barretto, who was the goal scorer in the last match will be high on confidence and it will be
interesting to watch what he has to offer against the Chennaiyin FC defence.

Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, who is repeatedly demonstrating why he is the front runner for the Golden
Glove will be the man to defeat for the Chennaiyin FC attackers.

WHERE TO WATCH

Online Streaming: Disney+Hotstar JioTV and Asianet plus.

NEW SEASON, SAME GRIT

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The brand new edition of Hero Indian Super League is almost here. The league will officially kick-off on 7th of October, 2022 at JLN stadium, Kochi. KBFC will square off with Emami East Bengal in the inaugural match of ISL 9 and we all are very excited about the game as fans will be returning to the home after 2 long seasons.

Kerala Blasters finished the previous season as runners-up, but now will be looking forward to winning their maiden trophy. The preseason preparations are in full swing, and KBFC is sweating it out in their UAE preseason tour. The team in yellow has revamped the squad with some crucial incomings and outgoings.

Let’s have a look at the newest additions we made to the squad!

  • Apostolos Giannou

The Greek-Australian centre forward was the first foreign player we signed for the season. Giannou, 32 year old forward is coming to the club with ample amount of experience in his back. He started his career with the Oakleigh Cannons and South Melbourne and made his professional debut for the Greek first division side Apollon Kalamarias in 2007, scoring his first goal in late 2008 for the club. He also has represented Greece and Australia in the international level at various occasions and have scored for Australia in a friendly against Kuwait and in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup against Palestine. Giannou will be a great addition to the squad as he brings home a bag of experience playing in various countries across the globe.

  • Ivan Kalyuzhnyi

Ivan Volodymyrovich Kalyuzhnyi, who is a central midfielder and hails from Ukraine. This 24 year old professional was our second addition to the foreign contingent and he is on loan from the Ukrainian premier league club FC Oleksandriya. Ivan made his professional debut with Metalist 1925 Kharkiv back in the 2018-19 season and scored a goal for them. This young midfielder will be pivotal in Vukomanovic’s plan of action and the gaffer will be looking forward to accomplishing his versatility.

  • Victor Mongil

Victor Mongil needs no introduction to the Indian Football fans, he has been here for the past 3 years. In his first stint in India with ATK, he emerged as the ISL champion in the 2019-20 season. Later, he came back to India last season and captained Odisha FC after a season with his former club Dinamo Tbilisi. The Spanish defender has represented his country at the age level and grew up through Valladolid’s youth system. One of the notable achievements during his career was playing in UEFA Europa League qualifiers with the Georgian top division club Dinamo Tbilisi. Victor assures a handful of experience and versatility on the table for our club.

  • Dimitrios Diamantakos

Dimitrios, 29 year old striker hailing from Greece is our “last piece of puzzle”. A pure, pacey forward, with a handful of experience will surely help the team and our youngsters to improve and grow. With the likes of his compatriot Giannou joining him in the front line, Dimitrios assures us a goal. Diamantakos started his career at Atromitos Piraeus, later he joined the youth teams of Olympiacos in 2009. He has joined our ranks from the Croatian top division club HNK Hajduk Split. This Greek international has plied his trade across Europe with an amazing spell in the Bundesliga 2, and always had eyes on goal.

  • Bryce Miranda

The Mumbai born winger joined our ranks from the I-League side Churchill Brothers FC. Bryce grew up Mumbai FC’s youth setup and has played for their developmental teams upto U-18 level. He was signed for Churchill in 2020, made his debut in their colours against Indian Arrows. During his spell in the I-League, Bryce has 3 goals and 4 assists to his name. Also, he has represented India in the U-23 category and made his debut against Kyrgyzstan in 2021. He has joined us on a multi-year deal which will keep him with us till 2026.

  • Saurav Mandal

This 21 year old boy has joined us from Churchill Brothers along with Bryce. Saurav, a natural winger who can play on either wing, will bolster our squad without a doubt. Born at Jalandhar, Punjab he started his career through JCT Football academy and in 2020 he joined the I-League outfit Churchill.

  • Bidyashagar Singh

The Manipur born striker is a well known name among the Indian football fans. Bidyashagar is the academy product. of East Bengal, has represented them in various age categories. Later in 2020, he joined I-League side Trau FC, scored 12 goals from 15 matches and became the top scorer and player of the season 2020-21. He was the only Indian player to score 2 hat tricks in a single season. Following this amazing spell of his career he joined Bengaluru FC and now has signed for us for a season-long loan deal. With the scoring boots and ambition for goal, we hope Bidya will create wonders this season.

With the likes of Adrian Luna, Marko Leskovic, Sandeep Singh, Jeakson Singh, Prabhsukhan Gill,Bijoy Varghese, Karanjit Singh extending their stay with us and the bunch of youngsters we have, the rushers will be aiming for the championship which we missed last time by a whisker.

Also we have a new addition in our coaching team. The Belgian coach Frank Dauwen has joined our ranks as assistant coach for the coming edition of ISL. He has ample experience in working with different teams like Al Ahl, Westerlo etc.. He will replace Stephen Van Der Heyden.

Apart from all these additions, we bid adieu to some of our favourite men who have always donned the yellow with pride.

It was always Jorge Diaz and Alvaro Vazquez in the attacking line for us, now both of them have joined other ISL teams. Alvaro Vazquez who was lethal in the attack for us last season has joined our fellow ISL side FC Goa. The Spaniard was an integral part of Ivan’s plans last season and gave us a memorable season with his masterpiece volleys and vital goals. The Argentine was one of our important signings last season and he has helped a lot to take the club into the finals. Jorge Diaz will be wearing Mumbai City’s colours this time. The young full-back Sanjeev Stalin will follow Diaz’s way as he is also signed by the Islanders. Sanjeev got opportunities after Jessel’s injury and always lived up to the expectations. He was a workforce who always made his presence felt in both attack and defence.

Chencho Gyeltshen, our Asian signing last year has left the club after a memorable season. Even though he got only a few chances during games, he has always been a good guy who is ready to give his everything on the pitch. We wish the Bhutanese striker nothing but best for his future. The last player to leave from our foreign contingent last season is Sipovic. The Bosnian defender has been a towering presence in our back-line. Sipo has scored a goal for us against East Bengal which was a crucial one. Another player leaving from our defence is the local lad Abdul Hakku. Hakku joined our ranks during the 2018-19 season and scored a goal against Hyderabad FC in the 2020-21 season. In 2021, he was loaned out to the I-League side Gokulam Kerala FC and now has moved out permanently.

Vincy Barretto, the Goan lad has completed his move to Chennaiyin FC. Vincy is a pacey winger and was instrumental during our run in RF Development League. He has also got 2 goals in his name for the Blasters in ISL. Yendrembam Denechandra Meitei will be playing for Odisha FC in the upcoming season as he has completed a loan move to the Juggernauts side. Denechandra joined the men in yellow during the 2020-21 season. Sreekuttan VS who came up through our reserve team will join the I-League side Gokulam Kerala FC after a season-long loan spell this year. Sreekuttan was part of our reserve squad who played in Kerala Premier League 2020-21. With an impressive performance for the reserve team Sreekuttan was called up to the senior team who took part in the 130th edition of Durand Cup. He made his debut against the Indian Navy football team and earned a penalty kick which later Luna converted to goal.

Albino Gomes who served us for 2 seasons has also made his way out. Albino has been a vital presence under our bars and always saved us with his quick reflexes and long hands. Another one leaving the rushers will be Seityasen Singh. Seitya was signed by Blasters prior to the ISL season 6. He scored one of our goals in that thumping 5-1 victory against Hyderabad FC. Last season he was loaned out to Hyderabad FC during the middle of the season.

Even though a handful of players have left the club, we have made sure to find proper replacements for them. Along with all the new signings we expect some of our academy boys to make it into the senior team with their abilities displayed during the Indian Oil Durand Cup this year.

COLOSSEUM is ready, are the GLADIATORS ready?

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KERALA BLASTERS FC is going to face EAST BENGAL in the opening match of ISL season 9 on October 7, 2022. Especially when the match is going to be played in front of the YELLOW SEA at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium after long break.So, It’s time to decode the Pre-season preparations of KERALA BLASTERS which is ongoing at UAE under the supervision and guidance of the master tactician Ivan Vukomanović. After a ‘better that dream’ performance from the team in ISL 8, all eyes are behind the yellow brigade to see what we have
stored for ISL 9.

Unlike previous seasons, Pre-season preparations started from Blasters soon after ISL 8 was over.By extending the contract of the players, Blasters retained the core players from last season. That ensured that ISL 9 will see Sahal Abdul Samad, Rahul KP, Givson Singh, Prashanth K, Ayush Adhikari and Adrian Luna will cause troubles for opponent defence again, while Lalthathanga Khawlhring (Puitea) and Jeakson Singh taking care of the defensive midfield duties. Ours defence line also was confirmed with Nishu Kumar, Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Hormipam Ruivah, Marko Lešković, Jessel Carneiro, Bijoy Varghese, and Sandeep Singh opting to stay back in the yellow jersey.

With Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Muheet Shabbir and Karanjit Singh all set to guard the goal line again, the line-up on papers looked like Blasters already have a team in place for ISL 9. Here is where our tactician Ivan Vukomanović stepped in to raise the bar of standard higher. Defence line was made stronger by adding the experienced Spaniard Victor Mongil into the squad. Bryce Miranda and Sourav Mandal were roped in to make wing attacks sharper. Ukrainian Ivan Kaliuzhnyi was added to the midfield line-up to add more creativity and fire power.

Roping in Bidyashagar Singh to the attackers list added the striking power in the team, adding to the fuel by the signing of Apostolos Giannoy and Dimitrios Diamantakos to add more fire power to the attack.While the main squad is going through the pre-season preparation in UAE, Kerala Blasters reserve team is clocking game time under custodian Sachin Suresh in the ongoing Durand Cup with spectacular performance. I won’t be surprised if few more names get added to the promotion list from our reserveteam based on the performance from Durand Cup.

KERALA BLASTERS FC ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF SENIOR WOMEN’S TEAM

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Kerala Blasters FC have announced the launch of their senior women’s team. The squad will participate in the upcoming Kerala Women’s League organized by Kerala Football Association (KFA) and compete to win the title and qualify for the IWL. In the next 2 – 3 years, the club also aims to represent the country at the AFC level.

Kerala Blasters’ vision is to work towards the contribution of local players to the national squad. Apart from the Indian International players, the club has more local talents, which marks an important milestone in the growth and development of women’s football in the State. The squad will be revealed in a separate announcement shortly.

The Kerala Blasters’ entry into women’s football has always been a clear ambition for the Club. Earlier Rizwan was designated as the Director of Kerala Blaster’s Academy and Women’s Team. The club has roped in coach and former player Shereef Khan AV as the first Head Coach of the Women’s team on a long-term contract.

“For Kerala Blasters FC, this project has been in the works for quite a while. As of today, Kerala has no representation in the Indian National team. This scenario should be changed. We have the vision to work towards that and develop our players into that caliber. KBFC contributing to that will be huge and as a club, our influence towards that will be very crucial,” said Rizwan, Director Kerala Blasters FC Academy and Women’s team.

Kerala Blasters FC already has girls participating in its Young Blasters-Sporthood program. Turning that into an age category group and giving them a chance to represent KBFC in District and State level tournaments is also part of the club’s long-term plan. Based on their performance the young talents may be promoted to the senior team as well. Meanwhile, ahead of the Kerala Women’s League commencing in August, the Kerala Blasters women’s team will train at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor. The League is scheduled at various venues in the State.

KERALA BLASTERS FC SIGN DEFENDER VICTOR MONGIL

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Kerala Blasters FC is happy to announce the signing of versatile Spanish defender Victor Mongil for the Hero Indian Super Leagu 2022/23. He joins Kerala Blasters FC from the Hero ISL side Odisha FC and will stay at the club till 2023, with an option to extend.

The 29-year-old started his youth career with Spanish club Valladolid and went on to play for their B team before representing the main team in the 2011-12 season. He then played for different clubs in Spain including Atletico Madrid B prior to signing for Georgian professional club FC Dinamo Tbilisi in 2019. Victor helped Dinamo Tbilisi win the title in Georgia and also represented the club in the Europa League.

The experienced and versatile centre-back, who can also operate in midfield, signed for ATK in the January transfer window of the 2019-20 ISL season and was a key member of the ATK squad that won the title that season. Following a short summer stint back Dinamo Tbilisi after the 2020 season, Victor returned to Hero Indian Super League with Odisha FC in 2021. Recognized for his commitment and contribution both on and off the pitch, he was given the captain’s armband at Odisha FC. Victor also has the experience of representing the Spanish U-17 national team.

Commenting on Blaster’s second foreign signing Sporting Director Karolis Skinkys said, “Victor is an experienced ISL player, a team minded guy and player who can cover different positions. He showed high motivation to join our project and that’s very important factor. I wish Victor all best for the upcoming season”

“I am very happy to announce that I am officially a Kerala Blasters player. I am looking forward to being with my teammates and for a very exciting season to begin. Surely this year together with the fans and their return to the stadiums we will be able to fight for very nice things” said an excited Victor Mongil

Victor Mongil becomes KBFC’s second foreign signing of the summer after striker Apostolos Giannou, who was announced last week. Alongside Marko Lešković, who penned a 2 year extension with the club this summer, the addition of Mongil will add versatility, experience and leadership to the Blasters defence.

KERALA BLASTERS FC SIGN STRIKER APOSTOLOS GIANNOU

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Kerala Blasters FC is delighted to announce the signing of Greek-Australian International striker, Apostolos Giannou, for the Hero Indian Super League 2022/2023 season. He joins the Blasters from A-League Club Macarthur FC and will don the iconic Yellow until the summer of 2023.

Born in Greece, Giannou moved to Australia at a young age. He played for youth teams at the Victorian Institute of Sport and South Melbourne, before making his professional debut with the Oakleigh Cannons. He moved abroad fourteen years ago following a transfer to the Greek first division side Appolon Kalamarias. He then had stints with several Greek first-division teams like Kavala, PAOK, Ethnikos, Panionios, and Asteris Tripoli, recording 38 goals and 15 assists in over 150 appearances.

In 2016, Giannou joined the Chinese Club Guangzhou City FC for a record transfer fee. After 2 prolific seasons in Asia, Giannou signed for Cyprus side AEK Larnaca and later moved to OFI Crete FC in Greece. Before signing with the Blasters, Giannou signed with A-League side Macarthur FC where he made 21 appearances and scored 3 goals for the club.

Giannou has represented Australia at all youth-team levels. He has also amassed 12 appearances with the Australian senior national team, recording 2 goals and 4 assists. He also made 1 appearance for the Greek national team.

Commenting on the Blaster’s first foreign signing of the summer Karolis Skinkys said, “I’m very happy Apostolos finally joined Kerala Blasters, he was our target for the last two years. He is a hardworking attacker who fits our style of play. I also like him because he is a player who plays for the team. I wish him the best time in Kerala!”

” I’m really excited to be signing for Kerala Blasters. I will put my all for the team to achieve the goals it has for this year.” said a happy Giannou upon signing with his new club.

Giannou becomes KBFC’s first foreign signing of the summer. The addition of Giannou will give the Blasters’ a new-look attacking unit as they prepare for the upcoming season.

KBFC YOUNG BLASTERS SPORTHOOD ACADEMY CROSSES 3000 ADMISSIONS

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KBFC Young Blasters Sporthood Academy, the academy venture of Kerala Blasters FC, the football club that represents the state in the Hero Indian Super League, has crossed 3000 admissions. This is the most admissions ever achieved by a football academy in Kerala. It has always been the club’s mission to find football talents from Kerala, nurture and groom them and provide them with a way to continue their football career. For this, Kerala Blasters FC started the Young Blasters Sporthood Academy (YBSA) in collaboration with Sporthood in 2019. Today, Young Blasters Sporthood Academy has more than 80 centers in 14 districts across the State.

The vision of YBSA is to build the capacity to train 100,000 children across 1,000 grassroots centers in the next 5 years. This year (2022), they are setting up 150 grassroots coaching academies in partnership with schools and football turfs across all 14 districts.

The Young Blasters Sporthood Academy provides scholarships for highly talented kids as well as those who may not be able to afford the coaching fees. These scholarships vary from a 25% to 100% fee waiver. Merit-based scholarships are given out to the most gifted kids while means-based scholarships are awarded based on Annual income.

“Our vision is to build a system that will make sure that all level players are donning the yellow jersey that is being scouted from the state of Kerala itself”- Rahul Antony Thomas, CEO, Sporthood.

“KBFC has always been committed to the state and the footballing talent it has. This structure was created to ensure that the very best talent from across Kerala can be nurtured from an early age to ensure their success. We are excited to be on this journey with Sporthood and look forward to crossing many more milestones together” Nikhil Bharadwaj, Whole Time Director, Kerala Blasters FC.

KERALA BLASTERS FC SIGN YOUNG MIDFIELDER IVAN KALIUZHNYI

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Kerala Blasters FC is delighted to announce the signing of Ukrainian Midfielder Ivan Kaliuzhnyi. The young Midfielder joins Kerala Blasters FC on loan from FK Oleksandriya.

The 24-year-old midfielder started his youth career with Ukrainian side Metalist Kharkiv. He then joined Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kyiv and represented them in the UEFA Youth League. His senior career started with a loan stint at Metalist 1925 Kharkiv, for whom he played 27 times in his first season. The next season saw him gain more experience on loan at Ukranian side Rukh Lviv where he made 32 appearances and scored 2 goals.

Following consistent performances in the first division of Ukraine as an energetic and all-round midfielder, in February 2021, he was transferred to FK Oleksandriya. He continued his good form with the club, contributing 4 assists and 2 goals in 23 appearances. Prior to joining the Blasters, with the Ukrainian league suspended, Kaliuzhnyi had a brief loan stint at Iceland top division side Keflavik IF.

Commenting on the Blaster’s third foreign signing of the summer Sporting Director Karolis Skinkys said “I would like to congratulate Ivan for joining our club and express my big happiness that we finally were able to bring him to Kerala. This quality player will be a good reinforcement for our team. I hope Ivan will adapt quickly and showcase all the qualities we know he possesses to excel here.”

“I am excited to join the biggest club in India and very much looking forward to my new challenge. I am beyond excited to meet the famous yellow army and give my all for them and the club ” said an excited Ivan Kaliuzhnyi

Ivan Kaliuzhnyi becomes KBFC’s third foreign signing of the summer after striker Apostolos Giannou and defender Victor Mongil were announced in the last week. Ivan Kaliuzhnyi’s will add another dimension to the Blasters midfield as they prepare for the upcoming Hero ISL 2022/23 season.

A TEAM FOR THE FUTURE

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March 7, 2020 would go on to be remembered as a very important day for Kerala Blasters in the years to come. It was on that day that the club’s Reserves team beat Gokulam Kerala FC in the finals of the 2019-20 Kerala Premier League (KPL), as we went on to lift the trophy for the first time in the tournament’s history. The result was surprising for many people including die-hard fans of KBFC, but it also marked a sign of things to come as the club’s youth development policy finally started receiving positive attention from all across the state.

It was in 2017 that KBFC began taking youth development seriously, as we appointed Thangboi Singto, C Shameel and Renjith TA to oversee the development of our Reserves’ team and youth teams. Under them, the club started fielding strong sides in the I-League 2nd Division and various youth teams and regional competitions. We have also succeeded in developing some excellent youngsters like Sahal Abdul Samad (currently plays for KBFC senior team and the Indian football team), Mohammad Rakip and others.The future also looks bright for Kerala Blasters as we have since elevated our focus on youth development to a much higher level. While most of the other Indian Super League (ISL) sides are keen on having more established names on their books, we are looking at young promising talents.

The club recently published a list of seven Reserves’ team players who have been promoted to the pre-season squad ahead of the 2020-21 season. The list includes Muheet Shabir, Gotimayum Muktasana, Ayush Adhikari, Nongdamba Naorem, Shaiborlang Kharpan, Kenstar Kharshong and Naorem Mahesh. Among them, Shabir, Muktasana and Kharpan have been with the club’s Reserves team over the past few years, Naorem and Adhikari spent last season on loan with Mohun Bagan and Indian Arrows respectively. Mahesh and Kharshong were signed for KBFC’s Reserves team last season, but their deals were made permanent earlier this year.

KBFC also named a total of 19 confirmed first-team players ahead of the upcoming season, and two of the biggest names – Sahal and Arjun Jayaraj – are stars who have risen through the ranks at the club. In addition, the Yellow army also secured the signings of Prabsukhan Gill, Nishu Kumar, Rohit Kumar, Puitea, Givson Singh, Ritwik Das, and so on along with handing out long-term contracts to Jeakson Singh, Rahul KP and Prasanth K – making no secret of our long-term plans under the new head coach Kibu Vicuna and sporting director Karolis Skinkys.

In an interview with Manjappada – a fan group of the club in April – Coach made it clear that he is keen to build a team for the long-term at the Kerala Blasters. He also revealed that players like Rahul KP, Sahal, Jeakson, and Nishu and so on will have an important role to play in the next few years, thereby highlighting his plans for our club’s future.The Indian Super League (ISL) began in 2014, and in the first three years, Our club announced themselves really well in the top competition, reaching the finals twice during this period. But the club has since gone on a transitional phase, depending mainly on our foreign players to deliver results. This particular tactic has backfired more often than not, with the side not finishing in the top-four in any of the past three seasons.

With the ISL all set to include the ‘3+1 foreigners’ rule from the 2021-22 season, it is high time that all clubs reduce their dependence on overseas names. By including a whole lot of up and coming youngsters in their rosters this season, we have already made a step in the right direction. Working with youngsters is a tricky process – sometimes it may not guarantee immediate results. However, it remains undoubtful that with time, KBFC are likely to develop as a major force in the ISL, if we succeed in moulding these young players and making them strong enough to play in the top competition.

TRUST THE PROCESS

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Being a fan of Kerala football is not easy. That is because it has been such a rollercoaster ride. I only have few fleeting memories of the stalwart players like I M Vijayan and Joe Paul Ancheri when the Kerala players were dominating the national stage. However, I know them from my father, who still says a story of bumping into the above two in a tea stall at Kolkata. And I M Vijayan talking to my father and friends about the injury he got in previous game. From there we went to Viva Kerala and Chirag Kerala being the only topflight club representing the state in the national league. I still remember waiting for the next day’s newspaper to find the result of the match in a small column. Then when they shut down operations, I must make a confession that I stopped following Indian football until Kerala blasters came. They revived the football interest in Kerala for that am always grateful.

I always wanted my club Kerala blasters to give chances to local lads. But now not only they are giving a chance, but they are building a spine of Kerala lads, who will be the building blocks for this new young team. Sahal, Rahul, Hakku all signing new long-term deals with the club. Prashant after signing a new deal and Arjun who is back from a long injury still contracted to the club.

Sahal what more to say about this lad. He has Indian football at his feet. The throne of best Indian player will be vacant in near future. And Sahal will have himself to blame if he is not sitting in that. This is the season; it is time to deliver the goods and take over.Rahul whisper it slowly this kid is going places. I have watched from his young age being the only Keralite to play at world cup. Then his development at Indian arrows and eventually at blasters. Such a versatile player. But for me though play him at RW and let him do his magic.I was admirer of Hakku from his Fateh Hyderabad days. I was very excited when he signed for blasters and then signing a new deal despite limited appearance. Defense is a tough place to break in. You must have a tough character to do so. And you can see the young defender has that. There is a question that who is next after Anas ikka? Maybe we have the answer here.

Prashant is not your dazzling footballer. But you cannot just have specialist in the squad. As a club it’s good to have certain players who can do a job in some matches. Prashant with his pace can do a job. It’s up to Kibu to utilize him. If we go by how Kibu utilized Suhair at MB, am certain he will use Prashant well. Arjun is coming back from a long injury lay off. We have seen what Arjun can do in his Gokulam Kerala FC days. For most of the games he was the best player on the pitch. I hope both him and Kibu can get him to that level again.

As am very excited about the new season, I would urge my fellow fans to be cautiously optimistic. This is a process we are starting with a very young team. They need time. And it is our duty as fans to give them that. As all the matches will be played without crowds, the fan reaction will be judged by social media stuffs. There will be up and downs, as it is a young team. Back the players, let them grow together. TRUST THE PROCESS.