India has talent, but needs to look at Europe to get system right: KBFC coach David Catala

It wasn’t the best of starts. It wasn’t the most ideal of situations. But, David Catala isn’t worried. Not yet.

Kerala Blasters has lost both of its opening matches, and on the eve of Sunday’s ISL match against Mumbai City at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, till late into the evening, there was uncertainty about the very fixture, because the ground’s owner wanted a higher rent. So it wasn’t just football on the coach’s mind.

The Spaniard, in his maiden ISL, is glad that his boys managed to come up with a fighting performance against Mumbai, despite all the off-field drama.

“I asked them just to forget everything else, and to focus on the game,” Catala told The Hindu here on Monday. “I said to them that the thing we could control is football. The other things we cannot control. And all this happened after months of uncertainty when the players did not know if the league would take place at all.”

Though Blasters lost the match 0-1, Catala said the team performed much better than it did in the opening encounter against Mohun Bagan Super Giant in Kolkata. “We are improving, but we need to do more, especially in defensive terms,” he said. “But I am happy with the talents I have got, whether foreign or Indian.”

He admitted nevertheless that Adrian Luna was missed. The gifted Uruguayan was one of the biggest casualties of the ISL’s uncertainty as he was released on loan to Indonesian club Persik Kediri.

“India has the talent in football, but there is a lot to be done on the organisational front,” Catala said. “I think India needs to look closely at leagues in Europe and try to implement a similar system, especially in setting up academies and youth leagues.”

He feels events like the Super League Kerala could help. “I watched the matches and was impressed with the quality of football and the young Indian players, like Muhammad Ajsal and Ebindas, both of whom are with us at Blasters,” he said. “The standard of the ISL, too, is high; I had been following the league even before I came to India.”

He feels there is no reason why India should not play the World Cup one day. “Given the population, India should be able to get enough top-quality players,” he said. “And India should also get inspiration from the small countries that have qualified for the World Cup.”