THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: He has only been in India for little over a week. But coach Peter Taylor is impressed with what he has seen of Kerala Blasters so far as he prepares them for the second edition of the Indian Super League (ISL).
Admitting that he will be hoping to ‘look and learn’ from what is a completely new challenge for him, the former England international and national team coach said the players had displayed a great attitude during the 10-day old pre-season of Blasters.
“From what I have seen so far, the Indian and foreign players have blended in really well and the standards are looking good,” Taylor said on the sidelines of a training session at the Greenfield International Stadium here on Monday.
“I have seen highlights from last season and the first thing you notice is the Kerala support. I just can’t wait to get involved with the fantastic support that we have and we are working extremely hard to produce a team that they deserve,” the English coach said.
Having said that, Taylor is also aware that the runners-up have to shoulder a tremendous weight of expectations from their fans. “If we do not reach the final, I am sure the supporters will say it was not as good a season as the last,” he said.
“I have been speaking to Trevor Morgan (assistant coach) quite a lot about it and you know, the team scored just nine goals all of last season. So, I am trying to make sure that we score more goals to improve our chances of finishing in top four,” Taylor said.
However, the former Three Lions manager is confident that Blasters are a better-prepared outfit this term. “I think we have more options than last year. We have more pace in the team and more direct players,” said Taylor, who feels he can work these to his advantage.
Taylor, who handed David Beckham the captain’s armband for the first time in 2000 and coached English youngsters including Harry Kane, Ross Barkley and John Stones as recently as 2013, feels England might have something to learn from the Indian experiment.
“This might be a new experience for me. But one thing, which is a brilliant decision by the league, is that you ought to play five Indians in the starting eleven,” said Taylor.
“I wish we had that in England. Because this is going to help Indian players and create options for the national team. I enjoy working with younger players because I like to help them in their career. If a player goes to have a good one, it makes the coach very proud.”
The former Crystal Palace manager believes ISL attracting youngsters is down to the success of the league.