Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters FC “mutually parted ways” with head coach Rene Muelensteen following the 3-1 defeat to Bengaluru FC at home. The club announced on January 2 that the Dutch coach would depart "due to the latter's personal reasons".
Common sense, though, would say that a poor start to the season was a major factor in his exit. Blasters are eighth (third from bottom) with just seven points from seven games.
Being just the fourth ISL season, it is the second such instance of the Kerala team dismissing their head coach mid-season, after Peter Taylor was shown the door after six games in 2015. Blasters ended up rock bottom on the points table that season.
As for Rene Muelensteen's departure, speculation is rife for the reasons behind it. Here we list a few reasons that could have ended his tenure at the club:
1. Being the only team to have secured high-profile foreign players like Dimitar Berbatov, Wes Brown and the returning Iain Hume, much was expected of this Kerala side under the Dutchman. Add Indians C.K. Vineeth, Sandesh Jhingan and Jackichand Singh to that list and it was one of the strongest squads on paper. But, a string of poor performances meant that Kerala has only one win—and that too a scrappy 1-0 victory over NorthEast United FC—to show after seven games.
2. The home game against Bengaluru FC on New Year's Eve was a much-awaited one in the state, but the loss happened to be the last straw for Muelensteen. The far-superior away side made the Kerala team look helpless, condemning them to one of the most demoralising defeats of the season. Frustrated Kerala fans threw plastic bottles on the pitch after the game.
3. There is no mild way of putting this, but Kerala Blasters this season has been plain boring, and this has not gone down well with the massive local support. Ever since the season began with two goalless draws, fans have criticised the team for playing overly cautious, with little motive to attack. Muelensteen's tactics (or rather the lack of it) were slammed by both experts and fans.
4. There is said to have been discord in the dressing room, particularly over Muelensteen's treatment of senior players. He also went on to blame the players after the loss to Bengaluru, saying that the loss was self-inflicted. In-form local hero C.K. Vineeth's absence against his former team was conspicuous, and it was only after the game that it was announced that he was injured. There were also reports that a training ground bust-up had occurred the day after the match.
5. Iain Hume, another fan favourite, made a grand return to Kerala Blasters this season. The energetic striker was a revelation in his first season for the club before he left for Kolkata. Yet, Muelensteen has been accused of under-utilising the Canadian. Hume has seen very little action, giving him little time to be the game changer that he had proved to be before.
6. There was constant comparison with his predecessor, Steve Coppell, who had taken the team to the final last year. Experts had questioned Muelensteen's temperament, as he would often vent out his anger towards players and throw water bottles around during games. This was very unlike the mild-mannered Coppell who got along well with players.
7. Kerala football legend I.M. Vijayan had questioned Muelensteen's handling of players' fitness. Players were seen getting tired towards the end of several games, which resulted in injuries. Vijayan pointed out that it is the responsibility of the coach to ensure that his team is fit enough to play 90 minutes, and to rotate them accordingly.
Most of the aforementioned points resulted in growing frustration among a fan base that is considered one of the largest in the country. The pressure to dismiss the coach would have certainly weighed heavily on the team management.
With Muelensteen out, the management announced that assistant coach Thangboi Singto would take over temporarily until a permanent replacement was found.
