ISL: Kerala Blasters part ways with Eelco Schattorie

On the 22nd of April, 2020, Kerala Blasters announced that they would be parting ways with head coach Eelco Schattorie. The decision comes after countless similar rumours had been doing the rounds over the past few weeks. The ISL club in an official statement, mentioned,

“Kerala Blasters FC have parted ways with the Head Coach, Eelco Schattorie. We'd like to thank Eelco for his efforts and services during his tenure and wish him the best for the future,” the Kerala Blasters said on Twitter.

Kerala Blasters FC have parted ways with the Head Coach, Eelco Schattorie.We'd like to thank Eelco for his efforts and services during his tenure and wish him the best for the future.#KeralaBlasters pic.twitter.com/OMZ4hGJJAD

— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) April 22, 2020

The Dutchman, who was brought on board before the 2019-20 ISL season, enjoyed an excellent start to the season. The Kochi-based outfit got the better of eventual champions ATK in their opening encounter, thereby enabling the Manjappada to dream of a maiden ISL crown.

However, things started turning pear-shaped thereafter and the Blasters often seemed a side that lacked ideas and imagination, an aspect that they hoped to correct post Schattorie’s arrival.

Kerala Blasters finished 7th in the ISL group phase

Though the Dutchman didn’t enjoy the rub of the green in terms of injuries, a tally of four wins across 18 league fixtures didn’t really paint a promising picture. In fact, the Blasters, despite doing the double over ATK, could only muster 19 points and finished 7th in the round-robin stage.

Consequently, the lackluster showing led to his position being scrutinized. And, it seems that those uninspiring displays were enough for the club to part ways with Schattorie, just a month after the culmination of the 2019-20 campaign.

Kibu Vicuna could be on his way to the Kerala Blasters

The past couple of months have seen Mohun Bagan head coach Kibu Vicuna linked to the hotseat at the Kochi-based outfit, although no official announcement has been made so far. But, with Schattorie out of the equation, one can expect something concrete to materialize over the next month.

The Spaniard would arrive with a burgeoning reputation, having quenched Mohun Bagan’s thirst for an I-League title in 2019-20. However, Vicuna is in search of a job after ATK made it clear that Antonio Lopez Habas would remain in charge of the merged entity aka ATK-Mohun Bagan come the 2020-21 term.

If the Spaniard were to make his way to Kochi, he would have a monumental task on his hands trying to appease a fan base that has only witnessed a couple of ISL finals since the inception of the league. Yet, courtesy his previous exploits in Indian football, it could well turn out to be an extremely shrewd acquisition.