Kerala Blasters FC made a near-perfect start to their season, with a 2-1 home win over arch-rivals ATK at Kochi in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 season opener on Monday. While the incredible win was one he cherished, Indian football legend and Kerala's very own, IM Vijayan feels that the team cannot rest on their laurels and need to keep improving throughout the season.

The 3-time Indian footballer of the Year winner, who was at the stadium for the match, in an interview with indiansuperleague.com, said, "It was a fantastic opening ceremony and it was a good match between Kerala Blasters FC and ATK. We fell behind but then took the lead. But we shouldn't rest on our laurels for now. The team should improve more."

"It was the first match and the victory will give good confidence to the team and they will play well. We need to keep getting positive results and the team should keep improving to achieve that," he added.

The Indian icon's advice definitely is one to heed. Despite the win, with the Hero ISL's levels of competitiveness, teams can hardly afford to bask on a single success. Last season, for instance, Kerala defeated ATK 2-0 in the opening fixture but lost their way after the win, finishing ninth in the table. Eelco Schattorie's men will look to avoid a similar downward spiral this time around and use the victory over ATK as a launchpad for a fruitful campaign.

Speaking of his expectations from the side over the course of the season, Vijayan stated, "I hope the team performs even better in future. We have a good team and can finish in a good position for sure."