ISL: Kerala Blasters, coach Vukomanovic look at bigger picture amidst semifinal talk
KOCHI: When Sahal Abdul Samad won the emerging player of the year back in the 2018-19 season, the youngster was touted as the next big thing in Indian football.
The attacking midfielder's close control and ability to dance past defenders with ease was evidence of his natural gifts as a footballer which few others in the country possessed.
However, despite his unquestionable talent, the young midfielder had lost his way as the many different managers at his club could not get the best out of him.
Sahal continued to flicker in flashes, which always kept him in the national team frame, but there was an overwhelming sentiment that he wasn't fulfilling his potential.
This season, Sahal's meteoric rise as one of the key players for Blasters is an indication of how the club and their head coach Ivan Vukomanovic in particular is getting the best out of him. It also points to a long-term approach the club is taking.
The 24-year-old already has six goals to his name and is one of the highest-scoring Indians in the ISL right now and has impressive dribble and defensive stats as well. Sahal is an example of how Vukomanovic has managed to produce results on the field while giving chance to the players and getting the best out of them.
"I think the one aspect that I wanted to improve was to score more goals. And under this coach, there is always a session during training which is dedicated to finishing and it has really helped me. Of course, one may never become a complete player but I can say that I have improved all aspects of my game this season," said Sahal.
Besides Sahal, their young goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill is another success story this season. From being the team's second choice keeper, the 21-year has seized his opportunity and cemented his place in the team.
With six clean sheets to his name, Gill leads the chart among the keepers and the national team coach Igor Stimac even added him to the preliminary squad of the Indian team for the upcoming friendlies. Blasters have focused on creating a strong spine of Indian players right from Gill in goal to Ruivah Hormipam marshaling the defense and Sahal bossing the midfield.
The likes of Jeakson Singh and Puitea are also still young as Blasters look to be building for the future. The fact that players continue to develop under Vukomanovic is often overshadowed by the success the team has managed this season.
Vukomanovic has stressed that he wanted to focus on the long-term process.
"If you speak about ISL in the short term, I see that many people here in India would like to see miracles happen overnight or over one month. It's quite impossible because if you want to be consistent, if you want to create and have big results and big achievements, of course, you need time to build up all those things. So later on, we’ll see about the consistency about continuing working together," said Vukomanovic.