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Kerala, a splinter of Southern India, lying on the shores of the beautiful Arabian Sea, is well known for its natural beauty, maritime tropical climate, and of course, football that makes her one of the tourist hot spots in India. It has been a dominant sport in the state, apart from North East, West Bengal and Goa.
Yet, this football frenzy region has been denied of top notch football for quite a long time now. Not many clubs have made it to the I-League ever since its inception back in 1996 (called the National Football League back then). Few clubs that did reach the top division sank into oblivion and faded away in short spans.
The rise and fall of FC Kochin, the first ever professional club of India is still a mystery and is discussed as a hot topic even today. Chirag United Kerala was the latest club from the Southern state to taste the top level football, but even they were forced to disband eventually due to financial instability marking the end of professional football in the state.
The introduction of a new franchise league a.k.a the Hero Indian Super League, a combined effort by IMG-Reliance and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is hopefully a new beginning for the state as Kochi will be one among the eight hosting cities that will fight for glory in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
Home Venue: Jawahar Lal Nehru International Stadium, KochiCapacity: 60,000
Kerala Blasters Squad
Goalkeepers: David James (C), Sandip Nandy, Luis Barreto
Defenders: Nirmal Chettri, Cedric Hengbart, Avinabo Bag, Colin Falvey, Erwin Spitzner, Raphael Romey, Sandesh Jhingan, Gurwinder Singh, Ramandeep Singh, James McAllister, Saumik Dey
Midfielderers: Sushanth Mathew, Mehtab Hossain, Penn Orji, Iain Hume, Duleep Menon, Godwin Franco, Victor Herrero Forcada, Renedy Singh, Ishfaq Ahmed
Forwards: Michael Chopra, Andrew Barisic, C.S Sabeeth, Pedro Gusmao, Milagres Gonsalves
A highly experienced squad led by one of the most experienced players in the Premier League history, David James; this classic side of veterans will be hoping for a decent run in the tournament this season. With the assistance of Trevor Morgan, a seasoned tactician among Indian football fraternity, James has managed to rope in some quality players during the draft picks.
The 44-year-old former England International and Premier League legend, who is the marquee player/manager, is expected to thrust himself more into the managerial role except for the crucial matches, making way for the veteran Indian International Sandip Nandy between the sticks.
After an impressive pre-season, we could see the young Brazilian centre back Erwin Spitzner partner 29-year-old Irish defender Colin Falvey in the heart of defence, while France’s Raphael Romey, Gurwinder Singh and the talented junior International Sandesh Jhingan will serve as their back-ups. The flanks will see 23-year-old Indian International Nirmal Chetri along with the Scottish star, James Reynolds McAllister or Saumik Dey, while France’s Cedric Hengbert and talented Avinabo Bag would need to wait for their turn to come up.
The highlight of the side is their midfield that is extremely rich in terms of experience. East Bengal’s midfield maestro Mehtab Hossain, also known as the ‘Double Cylinder’ is believed to be one of the best holding midfielders in the nation, and will be assigned the job of dictating the game in deep centre midfield. 30-year-old Canadian International Iain Hume or Nigerian play-maker Penn Orji are expected to feature as the attacking midfielder in the middle of the park.
Local boy Sushanth Mathew and Renedy Singh are expected to take up the role as wide midfielders, with the versatile winger Ishfaq Ahmed as a back-up for either sides. The other local boy, Duleep Menon, a 27-year-old deep lying midfielder who was spotted by the coaching staff during a practise game against Central Excise is likely to warm the benches along with Godwin Franco and Spaniard Victor Herrero Forcada.
Former Newcastle United star striker Michael Chopra will be partnering the prolific Kerala striker C.S Sabeeth up front. Brazilian youngster Pedro Gusmao, who has already displayed a glimpse of his talents during the recent practise matches might also feature as an experiment along with the Australian Andrew Barisic or the former Salgaocar FC striker Milagres Gonsalves.
Likely XI: David James; Nirmal Chettri, Ervin Spitzner, Colin Falvey, James McAllister; Sushanth Mathew, Mehtab Hossain, Iain Hume, Renedy Singh; Michael Chopra, Sabeeth Sathyan
With James and Morgan both hailing from England, they are likely to stick with the traditional English game strategy of direct football with a 4-4-2 formation.
The foreign duo of Ervin Spitzner and Colin Falvey will play in the centre of defence that is highly likely to be under constant pressure throughout the tournament. 30-year-old Iain Hume is expected to be utilized as an attacking midfielder behind the forwards while Mehtab Hossain will don the deep midfield in a dynamic 4-4-2 formation.
With the initial few ties of the league scheduled as away games, the side might even adopt a defensive strategy with Mehtab and Penn Orji taking over the role as deep lying midfielders making it a six men defence in a defensive 4-2-2-2 formation.
They are also likely to try a wide 4-3-3 formation that could see the trio of Hume, Orji and Mehtab in midfield, while Barisic and Sabeeth will play wide in a wide attacking role forwarding the ball for the target man Chopra who will play as the sole striker up front.
Coach
David James, known for his exceptional goalkeeping attributes and vast experience playing in the English Premier League, is likely to present himself as a coaching staff member rather than as a player, unless he is played in crucial ties. It would be his second stint as a player-manager, having worked in a similar role with former team-mate Hermann Hreidarsson at Vestmannaeyjar based ÍBV in Iceland.
With the noise of a very large fan base filled with limitless ambitions ringing in his ears unlike his previous venture, James has a highly responsible role in hand this time. And his lack of experience in coaching would mean that he will be under constant pressure to match the high expectations of the fans.
His compatriot and assistant, Trevor Morgan, a well-known figure in Indian football and the former head coach of East Bengal FC is expected to play a key role in the team management along with the other player/manager James McAllister.
Team Owners
The Kerala Blasters are co-owned by one of the best ever cricketers the world has ever seen, Sachin Tendulkar along with Hyderabad based PVP Ventures chairman Prasad Potluri. The involvement of Tendulkar, who is arguably the most notable icon in the history of Indian sports, as an owner of the franchise has made quite a buzz among the masses, not just within the state, but even beyond the boundaries of the sub-continent.
Affectionately called as the ‘Master Blaster’, his nickname was adopted by the franchise to name their side as ‘Kerala Blasters’ eyeing the support of his devotees that counts in billions apart from the regular football followers of the state.
This would be his first time as an owner of a sports franchise, also having been linked with the Mumbai franchise in the upcoming Indian Tennis Premier League which begins in November. In a nation where almost all the sports are made a brand by transforming into city based franchisee leagues, involving some giant corporates blended along with celebrities and renowned sports personalities, the story on Blasters is by far the most discussed moves of all.
How far will they go?
One of the oldest sides in terms of average age, Blasters have just the experience on their side to boast of, and is missing the much needed spark as a team. Dubbed as under dogs by many, they have to be at their very best to qualify for the final play-offs.
Issues over the availability of James as an on-field player to Chopra’s fitness concerns will mean that the team would have to rely on Iain Hume and Penn Orji to render some serious challenge to the opponents.
Overall, they are a defensive looking side that is nowhere close to being considered contenders for the tournament and are only expected to finish in the bottom half this season, lest James and his boys come up with a miracle.
