Hyderabad FC’s Thangboi Singto explains strategy behind young Indian core & experienced signings

Thangboi Singto spoke about the importance of blending youth and experience in a squad.

Retaining a young Indian core has been a crucial move for Thangboi Singto’s Hyderabad FC, especially during a challenging period marked by transfer bans and limited time to sign new players after the BC Jindal Group’s takeover. With the club restricted to signing only free agents, the decision to hold on to their promising young Indian squad has provided much-needed stability for the Yellow and Black.

Hyderabad FC’s Indian Super League (ISL) campaign got off to a disappointing start with a 3-0 defeat against Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Despite limited pre-season preparation, Hyderabad FC displayed promising moments throughout the match, particularly in the first half. However, major errors proved to be costly for them including a conceded penalty followed by another goal ultimately leading to their loss against the Blues.

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Ahead of their next game against Punjab FC, Hyderabad FC coach Thangboi Singto sat down with the media and articulated his thoughts on and role behind the club’s decision to let young Indian players take the lead with veterans in specific areas supporting them.

“You know, when the new ownership came, one of my personal suggestions was that we already have talented youngsters, but we need to bring in more experienced players in strategic positions,” the tactician said.

Hyderabad FC have not only retained a strong core of Indian players but have also made strategic signings of promising domestic talents like Lenny Rodriguez, Leander D’Cunha, Issac Vanmalsawma, Devendra Murgaokar, Ayush Adhikari, Sourav K, Parag Shrivas and Arshdeep Singh.

Speaking at length about the same Thangboi Singto elaborated, “Bringing in more experienced players at strategic positions; that is where Lenny Rodriguez has come in for us. Lenny may be 36 or 37, but he is still one of the fittest guys. I think the last match was his 159th ISL appearance So, among the Indian players, he is one of the most experienced players we have.

“Then there are other players, for example, Isaac or Devendra. They look young, but they had experiences in Goa. So, bringing in those players was with the intention that they bring a little bit more maturity and help the youngsters as we progress towards improving the performances of our team.”

Hyderabad FC signed Cy Goddard, an experienced winger who has played for Mumbai City FC and Odisha FC earlier. Although he didn’t start in the opening fixture against Bengaluru FC, Goddard came on as a substitute in the second half and showcased his ability to impact the game immediately.

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The Nizams’ mentor was quick to explain the Japanese attacker’s role in the squad, mentioning, “We want to improve the performances of youngsters and to guide them with their experience that is where Cy Goddard can be helpful for us.

“CY has been with Mumbai and Odisha. So, we are trying to blend it so that there is a good mixture of experience, youth, exuberance and we are trying to inculcate all those qualities on the young players contributing to their experience.”

As one of the first signings of the team, Cy Goddard was the first foreigner of the squad this season, and earlier today, the club announced the signing of Brazillian Allan Paulista. The coach expressed optimism about completing the remaining foreign signings and strengthening their squad as soon as possible.

“Yeah, I think from the recruitment point of view, I think, hopefully, the first match, Cy was the only foreigner. Tomorrow, maybe we have some additions. But going forward, I think the third match, the first home match of the season against Chennai, we hope that maybe we start with four foreigners as the league requires in a match.

And as we go for the international break, I think we have a little bit more time to bring in all the required numbers of foreigners. And the Indian players are already here in the required numbers. We have more time there to work on,” Thangboi Singto concluded.

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