Kerala Blasters ended their campaign in ISL on a whimper, thereby disappointing their legion of fans who had filled the galleries in large numbers.
The shortcomings of the team, which were pointed out early, remained unsolved even when the tournament entered the final stages.
The starting line-up always pointed to attacking approach. But that was forgotten once the match began and the team played without any clear game plan. Players roamed aimlessly and made plenty of mistakes. What was prominent was the lack of coordination among players.
One can hope that Kerala Blasters will come back strongly next season after solving all their problems. Of course, the team should come back next season at least for their fans. Nowhere in India can you see such huge number of diehard fans. They flock to Kochi in big numbers because they love their football team.
It was a great thing to see Sachin Tendulkar in the gallery trying to pep up the team at the last moment. As a sportsman, Sachin Tendulkar knows its importance. To me, he is the man-of-the-match.
I have great admiration for Zico as a player. I am happy to see his team win but I feel sad that it has come at the expense of Kerala Blasters.