Kerala Blasters were the runners up of the Indian Super League 2014 after they were beaten by Atletico de Kolkata in the first ever finals of ISL. David James’ side turned things around when they defeated much in form Chennaiyin FC 4-3 on aggregate, to qualify for the finals of Indian Super League but lost the title to Atletico de Kolkata when Rafique scored the winning goal in the final minutes of the game.
Best Players
Iain Hume
The Canadian international is undoubtedly the best player of Kerala Blasters. Hume was the key player in the Blaster’s attack and performed brilliantly in the debut season. The 31 year old showed an all-round performance and was also the top scorer of the Blasters. Hume scored his 5th goal of ISL against Chennaiyin FC in the first leg of the semi’s and also had 3 assists to his name in the 16 games he played for the Blaster. And because of this outstanding performance Iian won the Golden Ball Award of ISL.
Player who disappointed
Michael Chopra
Chopra was the first player in the international players draft to be selected by Blasters. The Indian has played for English clubs like Newcastle United, Cardiff, and Sunderland. Most recently Blackpool was expected to lead the attack of the Blasters. But the 31 year old failed to live up to the expectation as he missed most of the season due to injury and had suffered with poor fitness throughout the season. Blaster’s head coach David James should have checked the fitness of the attacker before buying him and this gamble effected the team as they struggled to score without a marquee attacker throughout the ISL. Michael Chopra was a major flop as he was not able to score a single goal in his 9 appearances for the Blasters.
Marquee signing rating: 7/10
Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James was the marquee player and also the manager of the Blasters. It was his decision making in the tough times that led the Kerala Blasters in the first ever final of the Indian Super League. The manager not only did well guarding the goal but also played an instrumental role in the team’s success. Blasters with their poor performance and inability to score in the first half of the ISL were struggling in the bottom of the table and it was a distant dream for James’ side to reach the finals of ISL. James deployed a more counter attacking strategy and asked his players to sit deep and absorb pressure which turned in the success of the Blasters. James also managed to save 4 clean sheets for the Blasters side and faced 42 shots.
Areas of improvement
Kerala Blasters struggled in the first fixtures of the ISL by only winning one game of the first 5. David James’ side struggled to show a consistent form throughout the season and only managed to maintain a 2 consecutive game winning streak in Indian Super League. Blasters also struggled for goals and were missing players who could convert the chances like Luis Garcia and Elano Blumer.
Kerala Blasters – Comeback Kings of ISL
Blasters were the favourites to get eliminated after they went winless in the first three games of the Indian Super League. David James side saw a slow start to the competition but picked up the pace and managed to qualify for the semis after they defeated FC Goa on penalties. Kerala then took over Chennaiyin FC in the first leg of the semi-final and showed their best performance of the season after they defeated Chennai 3-0 and though they lost the second leg by 3-1 but the Blasters won on aggregate and became the first team of ISL to secure their spot in the finals .But were only defeated by Atletico de Kolkata as Rafique scored the winning goal in the final minutes of extra half.