Poor defending has been the team's major issue throughout the season. They have conceded 33 goals in 18 games, the worst tally in ISL this campaign.
Indian Super League (ISL) club Kerala Blasters have decided to part ways with head coach Kibu Vicuna, according to multiple media reports. The decision was taken after Blasters crashed out of the race for the playoffs this season following a heavy 0-4 defeat against Hyderabad on Tuesday, according to goal.com. There are multiple reports from senior journalists that suggest that Vicuna informed the players of his decision after the match.
Kibu Vicuna told the players after Kerala Blasters' 0-4 loss against Hyderabad FC that this is his last game. #Indianfootball #ISL #KBFC
— Marcus Mergulhao (@MarcusMergulhao) February 16, 2021
Error-prone Kerala defence cost the team in the second half as Hyderabad punished the Blasters' mistakes and it is believed the manner of the loss accelerated the decision to part ways with the coach. Blasters have endured another season to forget and with two games remaining, they remain 10th in the league table. They have won just three matches and have 16 points from 18 games.
Poor defending has been the team's major issue throughout the season. They have conceded 33 goals in 18 games, the worst tally in ISL this campaign.
Heading into the last three fixtures of the league stage, Blasters had to win all their games and depend on other teams to drop points in order to stand a chance to land a playoff spot. The loss to Hyderabad, however, meant Blasters could get to a maximum of 22 points and thus it became mathematically impossible for the team to compete for a spot in the playoffs.
Kibu Vicuna was appointed after a title-winning season at Mohun Bagan, but the recruitment and some of the signings did not succeed as planned.
"Our scouting of the players was bad, the plans and expectations for the season were higher than the reality," the former Bagan coach had said in his post-match press conference after the game against Hyderabad.
