Five positions Odisha FC need to strengthen this summer

Odisha FC lifted their maiden silverware in the form of Hero Super Cup 2023.

If there were one team which would be laying back in their armchairs with an eyemask and the cool evening breeze blowing across their faces, that would be Odisha FC. No big budget signings, no pre-season hype (rather the usual underdog tag), lazy transfer window, sacking their Spanish head coach and yet managing to string together a series of firsts in this Indian football 2022-23 season.

In their first-ever Durand Cup appearance, they made it to the quarter-finals and their custodian Dylan D. Silva earned the golden glove ahead of his compatriots Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Vishal Kaith. Then in the ISL, they made it to the playoffs for the first-time ever and their talisman striker Diego Mauricio became the first-ever Odisha FC player to win the Golden Boot with 12 goals.

But right after, Odisha FC sacked their most successful coach Josep Gombau and the onus was on the assistant coach Clifford Miranda to lead the side into their debut Hero Super Cup. The Bhubaneswar-based side played without any undue pressure and the outgoing players shined the most. Victor Rodriguez stepped up to his role as the playmaker while Nandhakumar Sekar flew on the flanks and dissected opposition defences with his dodges and step-overs.

The Juggernauts defeated Bengaluru FC by two goals to one in the final to lift their maiden title in the history of existence, with their custodian Amrinder Singh winning the golden glove. Adding an icing to the cake was their AFC Cup Playoffs triumph where they overwhelmed Gokulam Kerala FC and for the first-time ever will represent India in Asia. Coach Clifford Miranda became the first-ever Indian to script history by winning a championship as the head coach for any ISL franchise.

However as the new season dawns, there will be a few vacant spots in the team which need to be aptly and swiftly filled before the AFC Cup group stages are underway. Let's take a look at them:

Attacking Midfield

Odisha's current playmaker Victor Rodriguez is unlikely to extend his contract with the Juggernauts despite ending the season on a high and with Raynier Fernandes' move to Goa, the management would be on their heels in search of a suitable replacement who can be a feeder to Diego Mauricio.

The combination of Victor and Diego created havoc in the attacking third in the Hero Super Cup and an attacking midfielder would be a position that Odisha would be looking to seal as the topmost priority before AFC Cup knocks on the door.

Central Midfield

Princeton Rebello and Thoiba Singh repaid the trust instilled in them by coach Clifford, but that still leaves the looming question unanswered - who is the go-to box-to-box midfielder? Midfield has always been an area of concern for the Eastern Dragons as they lack development into the final third on the offence which might prove costly in Asia. The club must be eying a few targets as part of the scheme to play the 4-2-3-1 or the occasional 4-4-1-1 formation for which a box-to-box midfielder is a must.

Defensive Midfield

The best find for Odisha FC this season was Saul Crespo. The Spaniard was the long awaited find to the side's search for a CDM who would plug their seeping midfield. But with him having said his final goodbye to the Kalinga Warriors, the club are back to square one to find a commander in midfield ahead of the AFC Cup. Princeton and Thoiba have showed that they are able to step up but will it be enough in Asia is a question that the management has to find an answer to.

Centre-back

If Odisha FC play the 4-2-3-1 formation with overlapping fullbacks, then Narender Gahlot at the CB will definitely need a perfect back-up and not just another step-in as Thoiba was this season. With most of the foreigners deployed higher up in the outfield, Indian CBs will definitely find a chance to prove their mettle in Odisha FC colours, especially where CBs find themselves pivotal for the side's defences.

Full-back

Denechandra Meitei was a versatile performer for Odisha who was able on either side of the field, but after he returns to Kerala Blasters post his loan spell, Odisha will have a task cut out to find two, if not one backup full-back for left-back Sahil Panwar, who extended his contract and right-back Laldinliana Renthlei who is the first summer signing of the Juggernauts.

Overall, the side from the east coast do look solid with their current batch of players, but if they are to turn heads in Asia, they have to set a statement before the AFC Cup comes knocking on their doors.