ISL: Kerala Blasters appoint Kibu Vicuna as their new head coach
Kerala Blasters have successfully roped in Kuba Vicuna as their new head coach for the upcoming ISL season. The Spaniard would join the ISL side from I-League Champions Mohun Bagan. The Spaniard becomes the latest manager take over the hot seat at the Kerala Blasters after Eelco Schattorie was relieved of his duties on the 22nd of April 2020.
Kibu Vicuna brings with him a wealth of experience
Kibu Vicuna gained an abundance of experience in Spain and Poland, when he worked as assistant manager at clubs like Legia Warsaw, Lech Poznan and CA Osasuna between 2007 and 2018. He was also the assistant coach at Legia Warsaw during the 2012/13 season, when Jan Urban was at the helm.
Despite plying his trade in some of the premier European leagues, an offer from Indian giants Mohun Bagan in 2019 was too hard to resist for Kibu Vicuna. Subsequently, he grew in stature on Indian shores and ultimately, guided to their first league title since 2015.
Thus, at this juncture, the Spaniard seems the right fit for the Kerala Blasters, considering the latter endured a sub-standard campaign in 2019-20. The Kochi-based outfit could only muster 19 points from 18 league fixtures and languished in 7th spot post the culmination of the group phase.
Additionally, Kibu Vicuna has shown a tendency to preach an attacking brand of football, something that would be greeted extremely well by the Manjappada. For years, the Kerala Blasters have been crying out for a good blend of style and substance. Though the former was provided to an extent by Schattorie in 2019-20, the latter aspect went amiss.
Hence, the incoming Spanish manager would hope to marry the aforementioned facets and help the Kerala Blasters quench their thirst for a maiden ISL crown.