Ivan Vukomanovic had a transformational affect at the playing style of Kerala Blasters. He took the team to ISL final after being defeated by Hyderabad FC in penalties. Ivan currently has a contract with the club till the end of 2025. In his first season, Kerala Blasters FC reached numerous milestones including a 10-match unbeaten run that saw the team to climb the top of the table for the first time in club history.
Ivan Vukomanovic : Playing Career
Vukomanovic played as a defender during his playing days. He started his professional career at Serbian club FK Sloboda Uzice. Ivan also played for Obilic, where he won First League of FR Yugoslavia title during the 1997-98 season. He then moved on to French club Bordeaux. During his career, he played for several top tier clubs, which include Red Star Belgrade, Koln, Royal Antwerp FC and FC Dynamo Moscow. At the national level, Ivan represented the FR Yugoslavia national U-21 team.
Ivan Vukomanovic : Managerial Career
Vukomanovic started his coaching career at Belgian Pro League club Standard Liege, where he joined as the assistant head coach ahead of the club’s 2013-14 season. During his time, the club played in the Europa League group stages after qualifying in the playoff stages. After he became the head coach of the club, he drew against Spanish giants Sevilla in the group stages of Europa League. In 2016, Vukomanovic was appointed as the manager of the Slovan Bratislava. Under his tenure, the club finished second in the league. His first title as a manager came in 2017, where he guided Slovan Bratislava to the Slovak Cup title in the 2017-18 season. Before the Indian Super League 2021-22 season, Kerala Blasters announced Ivan Vukomanovic as their head coach.
Tactics
Vukomanovic usually plays with the 4-4-2 formation where he had two playmakers pushed wide and two high-pressing strikers, but there would be slight tweaks to the style depending on who played where.
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