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Under the influential leadership of Ivan Vukomanovic, Kerala Blasters have built a solid foundation that other clubs around them aim to emulate. Setting benchmarks is one thing; maintaining them is quite another. However, the Blasters have managed to perform to the highest standards in the past two years, and even a slight blip in form is considered a problem.
The 2022-23 season of the Indian Super League (ISL) has been no different as they have qualified for the playoffs with two games remaining.
Nonetheless, a few questions have been raised following their recent performances away from Kochi. They have lost their last five games on the travels and Vukomanovic appears to be struggling to find solutions.
After an eight-game unbeaten streak and playing some eye-catching football along the way, things are just not panning their way at the moment. Consequently, if the Blasters do not finish third or fourth in the standings, they will have to play the decisive playoff game away from home.
On that note, let’s take a look at the reasons behind their dismal form on the road.
#1 Absence of Marko Leskovic
Out of all the reasons behind the Blasters’ poor results, Marko Leskovic’s injury certainly tops it all. Kerala’s rearguard stood firm during their eight-game unbeaten run due to the Croatian’s presence. He led the backline, but more importantly, improved the players around him. Young centre-back Hormipam has looked like a shadow of the player since Leskovic’s injury.
It’s no surprise that the Blasters’ incredible run came to an end when the 31-year-old was injured. The statistics back it up as well. KBFC conceded only five goals during their eight-game unbeaten streak, but they have been leaky at the back since his injury, conceding 11 goals in their last five games away from home.
Part of their success stems from dominating possession and limiting their opponents on the break, but that trait has turned into a weakness, with individual errors increasing with each game. Victor Mongil, his replacement, has performed admirably, but he lacks Leskovic’s commanding presence.
Moreover, Kerala Blasters have sorely missed Leskovic’s presence in possession. The center-back is known to progress the ball out from the back, which in turn brings their creative outlets into play. But despite creating overloads in midfield and wide areas, the Blasters have struggled to find the likes of Adrian Luna and Apostolos Giannou consistently.
However, Leskovic is back in contention for the climax of the season. He played seven minutes against ATK Mohun Bagan last time out, and Vukomanovic will hope that his star defender can turn his side’s fortunes around yet again.
#2 Kerala Blasters’ over-reliance on Adrian Luna
Adrian Luna has been Kerala Blasters’ metronome in the last two seasons. The team is certainly built around him and his influence has grown with every passing game. The Uruguayan scored six goals and assisted a further seven last season, but other forwards also contributed to the cause. Alvaro Vazquez and Jorge Pereyra Diaz netted eight goals each, while Sahal Abdul Samad scored six.
Together, Vukomanovic built an attack that looked unstoppable at times. Their flair and technical ability made fans watch in awe every time they linked up. But despite a few glimpses, the fantasy football and dynamism have been lacking this time around, especially on the road.
Instead, Luna has carried the burden of progressing the ball from deeper areas and chance creation as well. Dimitrios Diamantakos has had a solid season under his belt with 10 goals to his name, but the likes of Sahal and Rahul KP have not contributed enough. Furthermore, with Leskovic’s absence, Luna has been tasked with a deeper role to aid the buildup, which does not play to his strengths.
Their 1-0 defeat against East Bengal summed it up. Vukomanovic decided to invert left-back Jessel Carneiro to create a three-versus-two overload in the middle of the pitch. It also allowed Bryce Miranda to be isolated against the full-back, but more importantly, Luna was given an advanced role in the pockets, where he often found space as seen in the image.
The tactical shift worked in theory, but the Blasters struggled to find the playmaker between the lines. They were slow to react to the situation thrown at them and, as a result, Luna was once again forced to drop deeper to pick up the ball and dictate the play from the halfway line. This undoubtedly limited the Blasters in the final third.
The introduction of Ivan Kaliuzhnyi in midfield will help, but Sahal and Rahul KP have struggled to create chances frequently, and hence, Kerala Blasters have failed to hit the same strides this season.
#3 Poor decision-making and individual errors
Kerala Blasters have been guilty of making poor decisions both in terms of both offense and defense. The goals they have conceded in their recent games are mainly due to their own faults. Leskovic’s absence arguably played a part, but Vukomanovic’s side are known to be tidy at the back.
In what was a tight encounter against East Bengal, Nishu Kumar’s headed clearance eventually went straight to Naorem Mahesh, and from there, the Red and Gold Brigade ultimately punished Kerala Blasters and secured a 1-0 victory.
The goal conceded against Bengaluru FC is another example of their struggles to win duels and clear their lines. Here, Hormipam was easily shrugged off by Roy Krishna, who calmly slots the ball into the net from an improbable angle. The Tuskers have failed to show mettle in close battles and it has unquestionably cost them.
Additionally, their decision-making while moving forward has also been poor at times. They have only created four big chances in their past five away games and have recorded just 12 shots on target. Moreover, once they eventually progress to the attacking third, the final pass has let Kerala down on more than one occasion.
Once again, this sequence against East Bengal highlights their troubles. Jessel Carneiro inverted from the full-back position and center-back Mongil played a pass into him. He then played a clever give-and-go with Sahal, who was stationed on the touchline.
The East Bengal midfielder failed to track down the full-back, so he ventured into space and looked for options ahead.
Rahul KP and Diamantakos arrived in the box, but Luna made a clever late run from the right flank and was unmarked. But despite the acres of space presented to him, Carneiro opted to cut back where several East Bengal players tracked back. Eventually, they cleared the ball and started a counter-attack.
Kerala Blasters have qualified for the playoffs but will need to secure all three points against Hyderabad FC to finish in the top four. After another strong season, Kerala will hope that his side can pick up momentum and go all the way in the ongoing edition of the Indian Super League.
