Kerala Blasters, the team with the highest fan following in the Indian Super League, have been exceptionally good this season. After years of disappointment, the team now is not only performing well but are at the top of the table with just one loss from 11 games. Plenty of credit goes to Ivan Vukomanović, their head coach, who has brought out the best from the team and been influential to the squad right from day one.
In this tactical analysis, we’ll be performing an analysis in form of a scout report on the team’s tactics, style of play and what has helped them stand out this season.
Team Overview
Vukomanović was able to implement his ideas without changing the identity of the club. The team has preferred to line up in a 4-4-2 in every game, like in previous seasons, and have been able to perform well.
In this 4-4-2, they change their structure based on the match situation. When defending in their own third, the team is compact in a 4-4-2 and when defending high, they press in a flexible 4-3-3 and so on. We’ll analyse in detail how flexible the team is this season which has been their key tactic.
Their performance too has been better with respect to the previous seasons. Let’s take a look at basic numbers comparing the current season with the previous.
One of the major changes that is clearly visible when compared to the previous season is the number of goals that the team has been scoring per 90. Although the expected goals per 90 have dropped, the team has been clinical with their finishes this season. They have been creating more chances than the previous season, while there’s also been improvement in the number of challenges the team’s been involved in which indicates they’ve been more attacking and confident this term.
Another performance indicator that needs to be addressed is the number of goals the team concede. It’s always been a constant problem that needed fixing for them. This season, they stand third in opponent’s xG per 90, indicating they give away relatively few potential chances to their opponents. They have given away just 10 goals in 11 games whereas they conceded 30+ goals from 20 games in the previous two seasons. We’ll analyse in detail how this was achieved later in this analysis.
One huge factor that needs to be mentioned here is how their recruitment has been on point this season. Recruitment was a major concern to the team as they couldn’t find the right foreigners for the system or, in most cases, the players couldn’t match the hype or reach their peak on Indian soil. This season, all foreign signings have shown up and are all very influential in the system. One such stand out signing is Adrián Luna, the 29-year-old attacking midfielder.
The player, as shown in the profile, is really good and has six assists to his name from 11 games this season, while he’s scored two goals. He’s the creative outlet and driving force of the team in the final third. We can see that the player has been standing out in a majority of the metrics, indicating how good he has been for Kerala Blasters this season. We’ll analyse the influence and his role in the team in detail in the upcoming sections.
Transition to defend and defending
Looking at the defensive benchmarking, we can get an approximate picture of how well the team has been performing out of possession this season, and they are encouragingly placed in the top five for all key defensive metrics.
In their transition to defence, if they lose the ball in the final third, then the closest player to the ball quickly rushes to the ball possessor, closing down him quickly while the remaining swarm around the ball possessor too, adding indirect pressure to the player.
Upon losing possession, we can see that Nishu Kumar has left his left flank open and rushed to the ball possessor to close him down. However, he is also positioning himself in such a way that there’s no way the space can be used by the ball possessor. Along with that, other Kerala players are swamping around and marking potential players, adding indirect pressure to the ball possessor.
After this, they either win the ball or are forced to make tactical fouls so that the team can reassemble itself in the 4-4-2 structure. When the opponents are building their play from the back, they tend to press high in a dynamic 4-1-3-1 structure.
Pressing high in such a structure makes no way for the goalkeeper to pass through the centre and, as a result, to escape the press, he’s forced to play long into the flanks where then the ball is won in the aerial duel. Depending on the position of the ball, their structure also changes to a 4-3-2-1 while pressing high.
When an opponent successfully bypasses their press, the single midfielder in the 4-1-3-1 press is the first player to sprint back to close down the threat and delay the attack while the other three sprint back to mark players in their respective zones.
Apart from marking the free player behind the lines while pressing, the main idea behind the solo midfielder in the defensive system is to track down the ball progressor to delay the attack and buy time for the other midfielders to fall into shape.
Now it’s a classic 4-4-2 upon regrouping and what sets them apart is how compact the back two lines are. They leave no space for the opponents to operate it and they also make sure to keep an eye on the opponents so they can close them down quickly. The experienced Harmanjot Khabra has been a key player in this system as he’s been quick enough to close players and make some crucial interceptions inside the penalty area.
This structure and way of defending have clicked for the players and the coach, which makes this one of the main reasons why their opponents have struggled to score against Kerala Blasters this season.
Transition to attack and attacking
We can see from the attacking benchmarks that the team’s xG per 90 is quite low, but they have the second-highest xG conversion ability among all the teams and are losing the first spot by just 0.02. This finishing ability of theirs has helped them to stand out this season, along with their solid defence.
Upon regaining possession, the team is quick to attack and find the open space. The free players make sure to show options for the ball possessor to pick out. There are runs on the flanks, there are runs by Álvaro Vázquez in the front which not only creates options but also makes it difficult for the opponents to predict what the team is about to do.
We can see that upon winning possession, there are a lot of movements in the attacking third. One of the two strikers drops back while another one cuts in making it difficult for the centre backs while there are also movements in the flanks acting as options.
Their creative outlet in the final third is Luna, as mentioned earlier, and the system in which they operate helps Luna to bring out his best for the team. Having been placed on the left flank, the player drifts inside into the middle as the game progresses into the final third. As a result, there’s enough space for Nishu on the left flank and Luna also is able to influence the entire attacking third.
We can see that Luna drifted into the middle while also giving enough space for Nishu to operate in. This is the reason why we can often see Nishu very high up the pitch and when the ball is lost, Luna who is behind Nishu quickly covers his space until he recovers. This is also similar on the right flank where Sahal Abdul Samad operates. The fact that he operates on the flanks has helped him bring out the best in himself, as the player is able to dribble and penetrate in. The player has had a standout season because he’s able to combine and link up well with both Vázquez and Pereyra Díaz, with Khabra covering for him.
Their build-up structure from the back is very smart, as the team is now seen in a 2-3-2-3.
The two fullbacks combine with one of the central midfielders to form a three-man midfield that’s responsible for progressing the ball into the attacking third. Based on which flank the ball is in, either Sahal or Luna tucks in to combine with the other midfielder while the other winger pushes front to combine with the two strikers. These two midfielders in the middle are responsible for creating chances and goal-scoring opportunities in the final third. As the ball progresses, both the full-backs push up too. This is the system that has made Sahal shine this season as he’s able to combine well with the front two.
Kerala Blasters force their play through the flanks as they know there’s enough protection there while both attacking and defending. This tactical system, as such, is bringing out the best version of the team at the moment.
Set-piece analysis
Kerala Blasters are among the teams to have scored more from open play this season but if they could also improve their set-piece productivity, the team would really be a nightmare for all the defenders in the league. We can see their efficiency from set-pieces is the worst in the league.
Their set-piece routine is creative but has seen less success. If they could at least improve their corners, their goal tally could go up even more than now.
Upon delivering the cross during a corner, two players attack the front post, while two players go to the second post. The two strikers in the middle are static waiting to attack the ball or to play the rebound ball. Luna, who usually delivers crosses, has many options as he could either pass it short or play it into the 6-yard-box where the players are positioned very well.
Conclusion
Full credit to Ivan Vukomanović for managing the team so well and also bringing out the best from the squad this season. The team has shown wonderful character this season and has been excelling in all phases of the game. Their defensive play needs to be appreciated, as their way of playing requires a lot of understanding among the players to switch positions and fill in voids for players out of position which can usually be seen on the flanks. They’ll be a complete attacking unit if they can work on their set-pieces but, as such, it’s been a joy to watch the team combine in the attacking third to score goals. With nine games remaining, one cannot assure if they’ll continue to remain the table-toppers but they are a very strong contender for the spot and also can go on to secure a spot in the AFC Champions League.
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