ISL 2017: 5 reasons why we'll see a different Kerala Blasters this season
With just over two months to go for the Indian Super League bandwagon to begin, all the 10 clubs have almost made up their respective squads for season four. Kerala Blasters, as always, are one of the teams who can be said as the favourites for the upcoming season even before a ball is kicked.
The Blasters have done some brilliant business on the transfer front, be it in the Indian players' draft pick or luring experienced foreign players to play in front of the vociferous Yellow Army. A new manager, plenty of new faces along with the same ferocious home support, Kerala Blasters will look to break the duck this time around and get their hands on the elusive ISL trophy. On that note, here are the five reasons why we'll see a stronger and a different Kerala Blasters side this season:
#5 A stronger defence than ever
The foundation of any successful football team depends on the strength of its backline. It has been their solid defence which has led the Blasters to two finals in the last three years. Their new head coach Rene Meulensteen identified that and managed to do a fine job in retaining Sandesh Jhingan and then going into the transfer market to splurge the cash on the needed recruitments.
Rino Anto became the club's costliest buy in the draft pick, with defenders like Lalruatthara and Pritam Singh following suit. Foreign signings like Nemanja Laki?-Peši? will shore up their back line along with the capture of one of their biggest overseas star - Wes Brown. A centre back pairing of Jhingan and Brown will be one of the most resolute pairings in the league with the new India captain set to receive an opportunity to learn from one of the best in the business.