Kerala Blasters boss Steve CoppellKolkata: The joke is that Steve Coppell’s baldness has to do with his hard thinking. The former English winger, who created magic with lowly Crystal Palace in the English Premier league, is still thinking hard. After returning from Kerala Blasters’ practice session in Thailand, Coppell is now busy formulating the strategies and formations of his team.
The Kerala Blasters team which will take on North East United in Guwhati on October 1 is now training in Kolkata. The practice sessions are progressing at the Mohun Bagan ground. Coppell admitted that he heaved a sigh of relief when five important Indian players joined the team the other day. The 61-year-old maintains that he will talk about his team’s chances only after the tournament begins. Some excerpts from the interview:
Foreign training
We went for training in Bangkok without five important players. We chose Thailand as the weather conditions were similar to that of India. We played against the best teams there and managed to win two matches and draw one. I am satisfied with the performance of the foreign players. I am waiting to see the performance of the best Indian players. At present we don’t have any injury issues and I can’t say anything beyond this.
The team
I cannot comment on this until the matches begin. The job of a coach is like the icing on the cake. After all it is not easy to make a team click within a week.
Kolkata for practice
It was difficult to get practice ground in Kerala. Our first match is in Guwahati and after taking into consideration the two factors we choose Kolkata as the venue for practice.
Crystal Palace vs Kerala Blasters
When I took over as coach of Crystal Palace, I was only 28 and I was the youngest coach in England at that time. You cannot have super players in the squad without spending money. We went to local grounds in England in search of players. It was something unique. Ian Wright who later became the best English footballer was discovered like this. The new players helped the club. We qualified for the top division and stayed there for four years. In 1989 we reached the final of FA Cup. However, it is difficult for history to repeat here with Kerala Blasters. The only option for me is to select the 11 best players from the available resources.
Picking 11 best players
No I haven’t picked the playing 11 yet. I have decided on eight players and take a decision on the rest of the three players this week. I have to decide on the Indian players.
Style of play
I prefer to launch attack through the wings. I was a winger and it is easy to break the defence of the opponent through this. I don’t know much about other teams. I have watched videos of old matches of other teams and my readings are based on that.
The finishing problem of Blasters
Nobody can turn the players into good finishers within such a short period of time. However, we have genuine goal-scorers this time with us. This was reflected in the performance in Thailand. I think one shouldn’t measure the ability of the teams in terms of goals scored. The team scored only nine goals in the first season and yet reached the final. Last season we scored 22 goals but couldn’t reach anywhere near the final.
A superstar from the ranks
It is always nice to have a hero in the team. We are also waiting for such a hero to come up this season.
