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It is no news that runners up from the inaugural installment of the Hero Indian Super League, Kerala Blasters, had a disappointing campaign this time around. When the league matches drew to a close, the Blasters sat rock bottom of the pile of 8 teams, managing to get on board a meagre 13 points from 14 matches, winning just 3 and losing 7 matches.
If fingers need to be pointed, after nitpicking at the finer details, blame for this woeful performance maybe attached to their early manager Peter Taylor for toying with the squad or a host of injuries to important signings such as Sanchez Watt and Carlos Marchena, or even their management, for not retaining top quality foreign players such as Stephen Pearson and Iain Hume.
One of the few positives in what was otherwise a largely forgettable season for the Blasters was the timely form of their English forward Antonio German. After playing just 544 minutes for the men in yellow, German found the back of the net 6 times, averaging 0.66 goals per game.
This impressive feat by German spearheading the attack is reason enough to make him Kerala Blasters’ best player in the Hero Indian Super League 2015.
Antonio German stands 5th in the top goalscorers list of ISL 2 with 6 goals from 9 games, tied along with teammate Chris Dagnall and Chennaiyin FC’s Jeje Lalpekhlua.
Before landing in the subcontinent, German plied his trade in the lower divisions of English football, playing for clubs such as Queens Park Rangers, Southend United and Northampton. The journeyman that he was, German never set the world alight with his goalscoring and spent most of his days in England on loan at different clubs.
Part of the big chunk of English players brought into the Kerala Blasters fold for the second edition of the ISL by the then head coach Peter Taylor, was the 23-year old Antonio German.
Life in the ISL did not start as well as he would have wanted as German missed the first five league matches following an injury to his hip. He had to wait 5 games to get his first taste of the ISL in the Blasters’ 3-2 loss at Pune.
Following the sacking of their head coach Peter Taylor, German was given a new lease of life by new manager Terry Phelan, who favoured the QPR academy product in attack. Antonio made up for lost time in the last 6 games for the Blasters under Phelan, scoring 6 and assisting another 3 goals.
Capable of playing on the wings as well as up top, Antonio German ticks all the right boxes for a typical modern-day centre-forward. Characterized by his quick feet and the ability to change direction when in possession, he made the most of playing in front of talented Kerala midfielders such as Victor Pulga and Josu Currais all season.
The 5ft 11inch striker’s tidy finishing attributes in front of goal also earned him a lot of praise from fans, critics and opponents alike. This was perfectly portrayed in the goals German scored in the away matches against Delhi Dynamos and Mumbai City FC.
Kerala Blasters operated ineffectively in the infamous 3-5-2 formation in their opening 4 games under Peter Taylor, which German had to watch from the sidelines. With new manager Terry Phelan taking charge, the Blasters reverted to the traditional 4-4-2 system, in which German thrived.
On his gradual return to the team, German was slotted into the starting eleven alongside compatriot Chris Dagnall, ahead of an injured Sanchez Watt and Mohammed Rafi.
The man from England was quick to produce goods and fired on all cylinders, proving to be a perfect fit at Kerala, even when the results were not going in their favour.
His first goal came against Atletico de Kolkata at home in Kochi when he assumed the role of a super sub, coming off the bench and making an instant impact with a brace. He cemented a place in the hearts of the Blasters’ fans in the coming weeks, making a healthy habit of netting regularly, with goals against sides such as NorthEast United, Mumbai City and Chennayin FC.
Perhaps the availability of Antonio German in the opening round of games for the Kerala Blasters could have turned their seasons around. As one of the very few players in the Kerala camp to step up to the occasion this season, German has had very little competition to the title of Kerala Blasters best player of the season.
While striker Chris Dagnall and centre-half Peter Ramage both worked hard and put in performances worthy of a mention, no one was able to make an impact as pronounced as German.
