Goal.com caught up with Viva Kerala coach AM Sreedharan and asked his opinion on the upcoming I-League.
As mentioned in the crystal ball series article, Viva have had the most low profile pre-season, having played only one practice game and that too against a team far away from the standards of the I-League.
The Kerala outfit also pulled out of the IFA Shield and now run the risk of going into the I-League short of match practice.
Coach Sreedharan admitted that their preparation isn’t like other I-League teams but pointed that some unavoidable reasons were responsible for it.
Speaking to Goal.com he said, “It’s true that we haven’t had the preparation necessary for a competition like the I-League.
“But this lack of activity was forced on us. We wanted to play in the IFA Shield but at that time most of the players were unfit and many also had fever.
“Our foreigners were also not available so we decided not to take part because if we had participated in that tournament with such under preparation, then we might have performed badly and the morale of the whole squad would have been down.”
He added, “Playing friendly matches here was also difficult as most teams around Kerala have only started training very recently and were not available for action earlier.”
The 64 year old isn’t concerned about the inexperience in the squad and talked about how it could work in their favor.
“We have a young squad but it is full of talented players. One thing which might work in our favour is that most teams won’t be aware about our squad as the majority of the players will be playing for the first time in the I-League. So we have to make the most of that factor.
“We obviously want to do as well as we can in the league but without any doubt our primary target will be to survive. This is a good group of players so I am confident we will do well.”
The former FC Cochin coach is also happy with the foreigners he has at his disposal and stated that they are still in search of that Asian foreigner.
“The two Ghanaians are good players and of course Bello Razzaq has a lot of experience in Indian football. Patrick Sisupalan has also impressed me so I think they will be effective in the I-League.
“We are still looking for that Asian foreigner but I will only decide that once I identify the area in which we need that player.”
Sreedharan then stressed the importance of their home games and said that a good start will be important.
“Our objective will be to do very well in our home games and avoid defeats away. Home support will be important and I am sure the fans will be coming in large numbers since they are very passionate.
“But we have to do our bit. We should not expect a full house from match one, a good start is important because that will encourage our supporters to get behind the team even more.”
He lastly pointed out that there is pride at stake since they are the only team from Southern Indian and also revealed his favorites for the title.
“Viva has certainly made the whole of South India proud. We will represent the entire region so we have to make sure that we don’t let our followers down.
“This time the league will be a very competitive one and teams like Churchill and Mohun Bagan look favorites since they are in such fine form and have very strong squads,” he concluded.
Viva Kerala’s first match is away to fellow newly promoted club Salgaocar on 3rd October.
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Monday 21 September 2009, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.