ISL 2018-19: 5 Areas where Kerala Blasters need to improve

Kerala Blasters, the most fan-followed club in ISL, is finding its place in the lower mid-table even after showing an improved performance compared to the previous season. The Blasters have 7 points from as many games this season with 1 win and 4 draws in their kitty.

They started the season brilliantly with a win against the arch-rivals ATK, followed by 4 consecutive draws. They lost the next two matches at home against Bengaluru FC and FC Goa, two of the most attacking teams in this ISL.

The amazing performances by the Indian youngsters is certainly a major positive factor for Blasters this season with the likes of Mohammad Rakip and Sahal Abdul Samad rising to the occasion securing a place in the starting XI ahead of their experienced counterparts.

Seiminlen Doungel, Halicharan Narzary and the local boy Prasanth Karuthadathkuni also have shown some brilliant display of football, even though inconsistent at times. Another positive is the role played by Nikola Krčmarević in the defensive midfield, a position which was vacant once Mehtab left the team.

However, luck and the referees seem to stand against Blasters with some major decisions going against the favour of Blasters majorly affecting the result of few matches. With the best Indian contingent Blasters had ever in the ISL History, the team needs to try their hearts out to impress the all-amazing Kerala fans.

There are a lot of areas in which Kerala Blasters need to improve in this season of ISL. Let us have a look:

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#5 Finding the proper combination

Kerala Blasters seem inclined to change their lineup in each and every game they played this season. Much-settled teams like Bengaluru FC have a confirmed starting lineup throughout the tournament which is reflecting in their performance on the pitch. Blasters are yet to find that proper combination in the middle which can rattle any opposition.

Only Jhinghan and Krcmarevic have started in all the 7 games this season. The constant changes in the midfield is a worrying factor for the Blasters. With a handful of youngsters who can play in the midfield, David James is shuffling them every now and then.

In the defence, the experienced Indian international Anas Edathodika debuted for Blasters only in the 7th game of the season. Lakic-Pesic was partnering along with the Blasters captain Sandesh Jhingan in the central defence in place of Anas as he was suspended in the first 3 games.

In the forward lineup too, James is making frequent changes which is unsettling the team chemistry a bit. Also, David James has confirmed that he is building a team for the future, not just having this season in mind. So we are up for some more experimental changes this season.

#4 Midfield general

Sahal Abdul Samad has done well so far but needs the support of the more experienced campaigners [Image: ISL]

Blasters lack that ever important foreign player in the midfield who can control the game much like what Dimas Delgado does for Bengaluru FC and Ahmed Jahouh does for FC Goa. Sahal Abdul Samad, the young local lad is doing his job superbly in the midfield but he needs some support from his foreign counterparts Courage Pekuson or Kizito Keziron.

Pekuson featured in almost all the games last season and was an integral part of the team last season. But this time around, Pekuson usually comes into the field as a substitute and is not able to find his proper place in the midfield, thereby not providing the usual impact that foreign midfielders bring to the team.

Kizito, in his short stint with the team, had impressed one and all last season but is still in the shadow of his last year's performances this time around. He needs to step up his game in order to bring that much-needed balance to the team.

#3 Finishing skills

After showing early promise, the likes of Stojanovic, Poplatnik and Vineeth all seem to have fizzled out [Image: ISL]

Kerala Blasters feature on top among the teams having the maximum shots but is at the bottom when it comes to the number of goals. Blasters lack in the forward strength even after recruiting the Serbian-Slovenian duo of Slaviša Stojanović and Matej Poplatnik. Even though they have netted some blinders they were not enough to bring the results in favour of Blasters.

Along with these two young foreign strikers, Blasters feature only a lone Indian forward in the form of the local lad, CK Vineeth in the 25-player squad. Lack of bench strength in the forward lineup is a major drawback for the squad, an area which has been a trouble for the team in all seasons.

CK Vineeth, who has an exceptional positioning ability inside the box is showing the same this season too, but his shots on the goal and passing in the final third are lacking substance at times. David James and the fans are still expecting much from this attacking trio of Blasters in the coming games.

#2 Set pieces

Kerala Blasters concede from a corner [Image: ISL]

This is one area in which the Blasters are lagging way behind other teams. The percentage conversion rates from set-pieces for Blasters is below all other teams in the ISL, be it freekicks, penalties or corners.

Confusion during set-pieces is a normal scene for a Kerala fan now. This has been the story in almost all seasons, with the exception of Iain Edward Hume, who had scored some amazing goals from freekicks and penalties.

Sandesh Jhinghan, who has scored 4 goals for the national team from corners, is yet to score his maiden goal for Blasters after playing more than 60 games, a stat which clearly shows the inability of Kerala Blasters to convert the set-pieces into goals.

Kerala Blasters have shown some lack of clarity while defending set pieces as well. Thus, a complete overhaul of the set-piece regime needs to be exercised.

#1 Tactical mistakes

David James needs to gets his tactics right [Image: ISL]

The first match of the season against ATK and the second half of the match against Jamshedpur FC saw some brilliant pieces of football from the yellow army with some nice movements through the wings and brilliant understanding between the players in the final third.

The forwards seemed to be much more lethal in those situations. In all other matches, there seemed to be a lot of misplaced passes in the midfield added by the lack of an intent resulted in the backline moving to the unpopular tactics of playing long balls at times.

There has been criticism arising from the fans about the lack of proper tactics for Indian conditions from the manager David James. The coming matches will be very important for the boss David James as his role may come under scrutiny if the team remains in this condition with the desired results not coming along.