Mikael Stahre took over the reigns of Kerala Blasters FC replacing Ivan Vukomanovic and aims to start a new chapter in the history of the team. The Blasters have never won silverware despite reaching the ISL Cup final thrice and the new head coach will look to end this drought.

In an interview with the media team; he spoke about his first impression of the team, his future plans with the talented group of youngsters at KBFC in the upcoming season of the Indian Super League (ISL) and his previous experience as a coach and more.

“Super excited to meet any group. The initial days are something special, and you always will remember (these days). We have great guys, great staff members and in general, really good energy in the squad and I’m really happy so far," he told the Kerala Blasters FC media team.

His managerial stints in Sweden, Greece, China, Norway, the United States, and Thailand showcase his ability to adapt to varied football cultures. Having now joined Kerala Blasters FC. he also spoke about the reason behind coming to India and especially in Kochi.

“There were two things. There was ambition from the ownership and, the message the sporting director gave me, in the first initial thoughts, he talked about the squad, about his plans and we hit it off immediately and then of course to be a part of such a big club like Kerala Blasters and also this massive fan base, these were the two main things," he said.

Stahre started his managerial career in Sweden at AIK in 2004, where he managed to win the championship with the youth squad. He moved to FC Vasby United where he helped them get promoted from tier 3 to tier 2 in Sweden. In 2012 he managed IFK Goteborg where he helped them win the Swedish Domestic Cup. In the interview, he also talked about the vision and the achievements he’s aiming for with KBFC this season.

“It is a complex sport and you know you have to deal with the eleven starting players and you need to deal with the entire picture. The guys in the squad are also competitors in that sense and also have to fight for the spots and they have to challenge each other," he said.

"By the end of the day, we need to be united to have great team spirit. It’s up to everyone but it’s also up to me to address and create an atmosphere of daily activity of everyone and everyone can express themselves and do what they’re good at this is the most important thing for me like a head coach," he added.

Stahre's coaching style has been characterised by an emphasis on possession-based football, organized structure, and inventive offensive play, all of which have contributed to his success and the advancement of the clubs he has led. He spoke about his style of play and how it will help the Blasters.

“(We would) Try to be competitive in every training session. I strongly believe that the high intensity is quite connected to the winning mentality and then we try to be competitive and in training, we want to create an atmosphere of winning the training games," he said

"We are teammates and we want to win together, we have to deal with difficulties together. Without a competitive atmosphere in the training sessions, you can’t grow. All small pieces together make us strong.”

Watch the full interview here: