ISL 2017: Kerala Blasters earn praise from Dutch legend and 3-time European Cup winner Wim Suurbier

Wim Suurbier, who was one of the students of Rinus Michels, one of the greatest managers in the history of the game, sounded very positive about Kerala Blasters' chances ahead of the forthcoming ISL 2017.

He heaped praise on KBFC head coach, Rene Meulensteen, explaining how the exercises that are tried out, are helping the footballers in dealing with the ball. He went on to add that Meulensteen is teaching the players how to remain calm in tense situations and what to do in the field to play out a game effectively.

The Blasters are one of the consistent sides in the league, having finished runners-up twice – both times to ATK, in two of the three seasons. This time, they have hired the services of heavyweights like Dimitar Berbatov and Wes Brown apart from bringing back Canadian workhorse, Iain Hume.

Being from the Netherlands, Suurbier and Meulensteen worked in tandem to inculcate the Dutch style of football in the diverse group of players during the Kerala Blasters' pre-season in Spain. Suurbier, who had been brought in as a mentor during the pre-season, pointed out that Meulensteen's wards are slowly but steadily putting their instructions to good use and coming together as a unit.

KBFC will open their campaign on the very first day of ISL 4 against reigning champions ATK at Kochi. The hard work is still going on behind the scenes, and it remains to be seen how the Yellow Brigade shapes up once the ball is set rolling.

The squad looks mighty on paper, which means exciting times are surely ahead of us.