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The fifth edition of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) will return to action when ATK host Kerala Blasters at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
There is a lot of history associated with the rivalry between the two sides and there has never been a dull moment when they have locked horns in the previous editions of the tournament.
David James, who was appointed midway during last season after the club decided to part ways with Rene Meulensteen, is set to continue as the head coach of the Kochi-based franchise this year, after putting pen to paper on an extension that will keep him at the club at least until 2021.
The former England international knows a thing or two about success in the ISL after guiding the team to the final in the inaugural edition, where they eventually lost out to Saturday's opposition in the form of ATK. However, the Blasters have worked together over the course of a long pre-season that included the Toyota Yaris La Liga World tournament in Kochi as well as a tour in Thailand.
James insisted that the emphasis will certainly be on trying to play a brand of football which the fans would want to associate the Kerala Blasters with and admitted that it will not be a huge issue considering the fact that the players are hungry and raring to go.
So what can we expect from the Kerala Blasters this year?
"That’s a good question, I think primarily we have to play a style of football which our fans like," James told Sportskeeda during the Kerala Blasters' kit launch ceremony in Kochi.
"I’m not suggesting for one minute that the fans should send me any messages on how to play but I know that the Kerala Blasters fans expect a lot of energy and more importantly a hundred percent commitment.
"I don’t think for one minute we won’t get that so that will be the style of formation, tactics will change from game to game because the opposition will be different but what I know is I’ve got more than 25 players who are hungry to be in that first game and hungry to play some part in this season.
"So with regards to desire and commitment, it won’t be a problem," he added.
The Kerala Blasters have promoted a number of local reserve team players to the first team this season and James went on to claim that it is purely down to the good work done by Thangboi Singto, the Blasters' assistant coach, and reiterated on the fact that there will always be a pathway to the senior team for the academy players if they can prove their credentials.
"I think the plaudits have to go towards the academy youth team reserves set up at Kerala Blasters that we have been able to give them game time," he explained.
"The work that Thangboi has been doing has been so valuable that we have been able to see the players play. We’ve got the first team coach overseeing the reserves and the U18s and he recommends the players to come through if we don’t see them first hand and then they get a chance to work with the first team squad.
"As you just said, some of the young players have had the chance to get promoted this year. I’m not just a localist and there was talk of other regions having a heavy presence in the Kerala Blasters, well I’m not a regionalist at the end of the day.
"But I think with the system that Kerala Blasters have got in place with the academy, there is a pathway from the youth team through to the first team providing they have got the quality and ability and they’re getting the right coaching then there is every chance," he added.
Football is not just about 90 minutes, its a way of life: James
The ISL will have a mid-season break for the first time in its history this season starting in December so as to facilitate the smooth functioning of the Indian national football team's AFC Asian Cup adventures during January in the UAE.
A number of key players from the Kerala Blasters squad are expected to be called up to represent their country but James has admitted that the break will be crucial for both club and country due to a number of reasons.
"Football is life, it’s not just about the 90 minutes, its also about what you do off the field and sometimes that means doing nothing, which is difficult when you’ve got players who would want to do something all the time," James explained.
"As a coach and support staff that we’ve got, we have to be very mindful of the fact that sometimes they do nothing. You can’t continually work and work and work so we have got to manage and engage ourselves in that football-free period as well.
"Rightly so, we’re going to have a number of players going away with the international team and we have to monitor what they are doing and fit them back into the preparation from the first game back.
"It’s good that we’ve got a break, its good that the national team is getting the support that I think it needed possibly from year one even and again that’s a reflection of how well they have been doing since then so its good and the more of my players go, the better," he added.
What about the progress of the ISL and the current crop of players emulating season one?
James admitted that the league and football in general in the country has improved a lot ever since the tournament's inception back in 2014 but at the same time he insisted that no result can be guaranteed as of now since there is healthy competition all around.
"With regards to the progress I think fantastic," James told Sportskeeda.
"It’s not just the ISL, I think Indian football has come on leaps and bounds and because of that facilities have improved, the standard of the younger players is almost unrecognizable compared to year one. So yeah it’s a tremendous improvement for Indian football.
"As much as we’ve got better players, I don’t say this disrespectfully, and a better level of play now than we had in year one, so is everybody else.
"So it’s the same thing at a different level and we’re just going to have to concentrate on giving a hundred percent commitment, desire, we can’t guarantee any results at this point in time," he concluded.
The mood surrounding the Kerala Blasters' camp is undoubtedly at an all-time high and with a familiar figure like James at the helm from the get-go, the sky is the limit for them if they can justify their potential.
