“He is dedicated and lives for football” – Michael Wagner says Mikael Stahre will take Kerala Blasters to new heights

Aftonbladet journalist Michael Wagner is optimistic that Mikael Stahre will take Kerala Blasters to newfound success in the Indian Super League. The Swede has signed a two-year contract, that will keep him at Kerala Blasters FC until 2026. Stahre will bring a lot of experience to the table and will look to get the best out of his players.

He has managed more than 400 matches with teams such as AIK (Sweden), Panionios (Greece), IFK Göteborg (Sweden), Dalian Yifang (China), BK Häcken (Sweden), San Jose Earthquakes (USA), Sarpsborg 08 (Norway), and Uthai Thani (Thailand).

Stahre’s best results include leading AIK to the Swedish Allsvenskan title (league title), Svenska Cupen (cup), and Supercupen (cup), and guiding IFK Göteborg to the Svenska Cupen (cup).

“[Stahre is perceived] as one of the most experienced and also I’d like to say one of the most popular coaches among the fans, among the pundits, among the supporters because of the person he is,” says Aftonbladet journalist Michael Wagner, who has interviewed the Swede several times, while talking to Sportskeeda.

“But, on the other hand, he really hasn’t won any titles since winning the Swedish Cup with IFK Göteborg back in 2013. Since then, the way things ended up depended on which clubs he had the opportunity to coach. He has gone for the option of having clubs abroad that haven’t been competing for the titles – league titles or cups. But, he is perceived as a very experienced and good manager.”

Stahre hasn’t lifted any titles after winning the Swedish Cup with IFK Göteborg back in 2013 but he will be determined to prove his mettle with the Yellow Tuskers.

“He hasn’t had the opportunities to choose the clubs in China, or Thailand, or the States, or Greece if you go back that far, or in Norway that have had a realistic chance to compete for titles,” Wagner added. 

“On the other hand, Stahre has never been relegated, he has built solid teams. In some cases, he turned things that have been worse to better.”