Akash Mishra reveals how he was shifted to left-back from a centre-back position

Akash Mishra also spoke about his time with Manolo Marquez at Hyderabad.

Akash Mishra is one of Indian football’s biggest hotshots, who has been doing exceptionally well on the pitch, both with the club, and now as well as with the national team. 

At the young age of 21, Akash plays with an incredible amount of maturity, and has rightfully been nurtured by the likes of Manolo Marquez, into becoming one of the pivotal players in India today. 

Playing in the left-back position, Akash holds incredible prowess both offensively as well as defensively. While Akash was always very attack-minded, and was usually seen making a number of incredible runs, and playing inch-perfect crosses, the player has also added top notch defending to his credentials, and is now a trusted man in the back. 

In his recent press conference after the game against Mongolia, Indian national team head coach Igor Stimac also heaped praises for Akash, and commented on how much the player has grown, and the incredible potential that he possesses. 

In a recent roundtable conference with selected media, Khel Now got the opportunity to interact with the player. Here are the excerpts from the conversation.

Plans ahead of Vanuatu game

India will be playing against Vanuatu on Monday, in their second fixture of the Hero Intercontinental Cup. The Oceanic side possess a very attacking style of play that is often accompanied with vigorous attacks and a high press. When asked how challenging the game will be for him defensively, Akash said:

“Every game, we go with the mindset that we will try to keep a clean sheet and that is the most important thing in football and in the last game also, we went with that mindset. We only try to focus on the defence and we have confidence in our attackers that they will score for sure. So, the main important thing is to keep the clean sheet.”

Manolo Marquez’s impact on Akash

Ever since joining Hyderabad FC back in the fall of 2020, Akash Mishra has made incredible improvement in the way he portrays himself on the pitch. The player has grown immensely into becoming an all-round package, and much of the credit for this goes to Hyderabad's former head coach Manolo Marquez. The Spaniard has been the protagonist behind Akash’s rise, and the player holds high regard for his mentor.

“He (Manolo Marquez) is a type of coach where you feel very comfortable playing under him. He will help you both on and off the field. So it is very helpful to play under these kinds of coaches who understand you, who help you to grow as a player and as a person also. So I think that is the best part of him,” exclaimed Akash.

Also, Akash commented on how he got into playing as a full-back in the first place. “Actually I first started as a centre-back but then when I joined Indian Arrows in I-league, Floyd Pinto was the coach at that time. He made me a full-back,” Akash revealed

Roles as a full-back

The role of a full-back is highly demanding, as they need to be present for the team both offensively as well as defensively. Especially in the modern era, most of the tactics are often based around the full-backs, whose forward runs act as the fuel for a team’s attacking play. 

“We all know now football is changing, wing-backs play a really important role in attack. So in clubs and even in the national team, the coach tells us to express ourselves and join the team in attack. But the first important thing is to be compact in defence and join the attack as much as possible and have the team in the attack as much as possible. So that is the way nowadays. We play football to attack through wings and make a 2 vs 1 situation over there. So we are trying and working on that,” Akash spoke on the instructions he receives from the coaches as a full-back.”

Akash also revealed what he does to get a better understanding of his position and keep improving in his role. “To be honest when I became full-back I saw Subhashish bhai and other players, and I learned from them because the way they play, they have played so many years and there are so many things which I still have to learn from them.

He added, "So I try to grab one or other things which I can learn from the full-backs, even those who are playing in India in ISL or maybe those who are playing abroad and try to be that modern full-back and try to improve on our skills and that's how I try to keep myself.” 

Challenges faced as a player

Being from the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is not very much into football, Akash had a really tough time in establishing a name for himself, and emerging as a successful player.

“It's very difficult from the place where I come and now also when I'm there, people or maybe so many players, they ask me how I did it. So the only thing which I tell them is that keep working hard and for sure you'll get your chance. I also got only one chance, but it's not about that I was too good or I was very extraordinary. It's just that you have to believe in your work and keep working hard and for sure you'll get your chance and then you have to prove yourself,” asserted Akash.

Increased number of games for National Team

India played just eight games as a nation in the last 12 months, but in this current schedule the national team is supposed to play eight games in just under a month. When asked about the importance of the increased game-time for the national team, Akash Mishra said the following.

“I think this is the best we are getting, and I feel it is going to help all the teams to build up for the AFC Asian Cup. And I think that training is not enough, the more games we play, the more we'll improve. The most important thing is game-time, and I think all these games will really help us do well in the Asian Cup.”

Impact of Sunil Chhetri

Akash Mishra also shed light on how much he has got to learn from Sunil Chhetri, and how the captain helps the youngsters in their journey.

“I get to learn a lot from him. I would say not only football, but the way he carries himself off the pitch. I mean if we also want to play until that age at such a high level, then we should learn a lot from him. He also gives us a lot of advice about what we should do, how we should maintain ourselves, and what to eat,” Akash concluded.