With the All India Football Federation’s Super Cup lower than 20 days away in Bhubaneswar, Spaniard David Catala could not have a lot time to research his staff carefully earlier than its subsequent large outing. But the new Kerala Blasters head coach is clear about what he wants to do first.
“I would like to change the mentality of the players, I know this season has been very hard for them and I would like to change things mentally a bit, to help them compete with another kind of mood,” stated the 44-year-old at the Nehru Stadium right here on Thursday.
“That is the first thing I’d like to change because I see some of them, they are very disappointed with the results of the season.”
Catala has landed right here at a torrid time.
After making the playoffs thrice consecutively below Serb Ivan Vukomanovic, the Blasters completed a disappointing eighth in the Indian Super League this 12 months, a season the place the Kochi-based aspect now has its third coach after Swede Mikael Stahre and interim head coach T.G. Purushothaman.
Catala’s arrival at a time when the season is virtually over ought to assist him have an in depth take a look at the gamers and resolve who ought to keep in his squad for the subsequent ISL season.
“It’s clear we need to build a new team and new players. Coming now also gives me a good idea what we need for the future, to have a good team and to try to get the maximum in the next season,” stated the former central defender who performed over 500 skilled matches earlier than changing into a coach 5 years in the past.
The defence had been the Blasters’ large weak point this season. The staff scored 33 targets however conceded 37, a lot of them in the previous couple of minutes of matches. Now, Catala is eager to discover the proper steadiness.
“We will try to find the balance to be a compact team and at the same time be an aggressive team,” he stated.
The Blasters have the largest fan base amongst ISL sides however the sequence of disappointing outcomes made the followers bitter which put additional strain on the staff this season. For certain, Catala will probably be below shut scrutiny and that might put him below strain proper from the begin.
But Catala, who had coached main golf equipment in Cyprus, Croatia and in Spain’s third division earlier, is ready for the problem.
“If I decided to be a head coach and before that a professional football player, I would want this pressure. I have to handle this pressure and I like to handle this pressure. I’m ready for that,” he stated.
Published – April 03, 2025 08:07 pm IST
