NextGen Cup will help improve Indian players in long-term, says East Bengal Reserves coach Bino George

Bino George also mentioned the importance of exposure to young players.

East Bengal are set to represent India at the upcoming 2024 Next Generation Cup that will take place in early August. The Red and Gold ‘B’ are among three Indian teams to have seen their reserve teams qualify for this coveted tournament, where they have the chance to meet prominent Premier League teams like Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Everton and Crystal Palace.

The Kolkata heavyweights’ impressive reserve team owe a lot of credit to their Head of Youth Development and reserve team head coach Bino George. Alongside his duties as an assistant coach to Carles Cuadrat, George has done a commendable job in finding quality young talent for East Bengal and helping them qualify for this coveted tournament.

Feelings on East Bengal playing in Next Gen Cup

Speaking about his feelings on seeing East Bengal play in the Next Gen Cup, George stated, “We’re happy to be here as the NextGen Cup is a good platform for the young kids. I’m happy and the East Bengal management is happy as their team is playing for the first time in London. Very happy with our place here.”

Role as East Bengal Reserves’ head coach

The ex-Gokulam Kerala head coach gave an extensive detailing of his work as the reserve team’s head coach and improving the youth structure of East Bengal, explaining,  “This is my third season with East Bengal. When I joined them, I started tracking their reserve squad, U-17 and youth teams.

“In my point of view, last season (2023) our qualification matches in the Kolkata zone were tough, as it had the likes of Mohun Bagan, Odisha FC, Jamshedpur FC, ISL teams and Mohammedan Sporting. Our group was tough, so I scouted players from Kerala, Manipur and helped to make a good team. We were the RFDL (Reliance Foundation Development League) East Zone champions in the previous season. After that, we reached the RFDL final earlier this year and lost in the final.

“Last year, a few young players got promoted by Stephen Constantine. Then again, last year, we did a lot of scouting and this process of recruitment is something we’re doing every day.

“We are looking into players who fit into the style of Carles Cuadrat and his philosophy. In my point of view, we are all about attacking football, so I bring players for that. This year, we are the champions in the East Zone and national group zone we also won, before losing to Punjab in the final.

“This year PV Vishnu has been promoted to the senior team, he played U-21s for India. Even Vanlalpeka Guite, Gurnaj (Singh), Jesin (TK) and Tanmay (Ghosh) are among those promoted to the senior team. For my part, we’re doing a good job and the club management also trusts me. For me, one of the toughest leagues in the country is the Calcutta Football League (CFL).

“When I bring in players to come into this league, they get the idea of how to perform in tough leagues. That is one of the best things of that league, as they’re getting the platform, so I’m happy for that,” Bino George also added.

Slight changes in progression of Indian footballers

George believes that the earlier trend of most Indian players starting to peak in their mid-20s is slowly changing, as he asserted, “In Indian football, most of the teams, even I believe that it might have changed now, but most of the players start performing strongly after they are 26-28. Because in the past, the youth players did little training.

“But now the change is coming, now more youngsters will come up. Peka (Vanlalpeka Guite) played at the Durand Cup last season and also got his ISL debut, so more like that will happen going forward.”

Also Read: East Bengal announce 19-member squad for Next Generation Cup; Sayan Banerjee & Tanmoy Das included

Why aren’t more quality youngsters coming from West Bengal?

When asked about why more quality young players are not coming out of West Bengal and how East Bengal aim to change that, the tactician claimed, “East Bengal are on the right track in youth development. I proposed to them a few ideas on plans for their residential academy and they agreed.

“They have a strong U-17 team and lost in the final in Mumbai last season. They have some quality players from the U-17 team to be promoted to the reserve teams. We have started scouting from West Bengal, but this is a professional club.

“Some people have complained that as I’m from Kerala, I’m bringing more players from Kerala and I’m not supporting Bengal. It’s not like that, we are looking for good players for the Indian team – not for the states.

“I want to bring players who can play for the national team and help produce the best players. I spoke to the club on scouting more players from West Bengal going forward,” Bino George also stated.

The importance of exposure of NextGen Cup

George also explained how the exposure of playing in England against Premier League teams can positively impact the young Indian players in the NextGen Cup, exclaiming, “Today, we went to the Arsenal ground and they got to see their ground, facilities, their food and treatments.

“That is the biggest motivation. They want to think about how good facilities they get and how the players would want to grow. This tournament is brilliant for the players and will give them the right platform. My players are not here just to train, we’re going to play at a competitive level.

“Indian football’s standard has improved after the ISL has come, it has helped bring in quality players and also better coaching. Before they started, some good players came to the ISL likewise, that will help improve young players in the long-term.”

Need for time to improve quality of Indian coaches

Bino also insisted on the need to help Indian coaches get some more time to focus on education and obtaining the necessary license to become head coaches, stating, “See, it’s all about improving the players. When they improve, the state of Indian football will improve.

“But when it comes to doing the AFC Pro License, how much will that help me? How will it improve me? We get our idea just by continuing coaching and gaining experience.

“Nowadays, we don’t get that much time to coach, let alone pursue the Pro License work separately. But, the AIFF have improved things and now they have started new techniques for helping coaches. They will probably start implementing new ideas. Sometimes, our coaches don’t get any platform like the players and unless that improves, then the coaches will never grow up,” he added.

Praise for Khalid Jamil & ways to improve youth players’ quality

George also had praise for Jamshedpur FC head coach Khalid Jamil, but believes he owes it to getting a lot of opportunities to impress, saying, “Khalid has gotten time and the performance of his team as well as his success is only after he got a lot of coaching opportunities.

“Football is now the sort where they face the threat of the sack unless successful. But, coaches need to get time and chances to improve. If India gets more tournaments like the NextGen Cup, then Indian coaches have more opportunities to improve their quality and I believe in that,” he also claimed.

The East Bengal coach also pointed out a few ways that India can attract more quality young players through the grassroots level, revealing, “In every team, you know the facilities of most reserve teams, they don’t get much financial backing.

“The reserve players don’t get money or anything. The senior players get good money, facilities and long-term contracts. But, to improve the youth sector, put more money into the youngsters. If you dump more money into them, then they’ll be convinced that they’ll not have to pursue another profession.”

Why NextGen Cup should be expanded beyond particular age-group?

George also believes that tournaments such as the NextGen Cup should be promoted for players of different ages, rather than just at youth level, as he stated, “This initiative should be for all age-groups. You know, Ashley Westwood once told me that ‘there are no competitive teams in India.’

“He meant that he’d like more competitive games and also produce quality players. In other countries, they aim to improve player development and also competitiveness through these exposure tours.

“A few years ago, our youth team defeated Argentina’s youngsters. This might happen at a young age, but things exponentially change at the senior level. These players aren’t getting enough matches or the right facilities for the right development. At least my East Bengal reserve team can play in the CFL, but what leagues are there for players in Mumbai or Punjab? Those players need more competitive matches,” he also pointed out.

Experience as East Bengal’s head of youth development

Finally, when asked about the challenges he faces in helping young players grow and his feelings on his role, Bino George explained, “See, this is my passion. Football is a huge subject and I’ll never be able to finish it like an educational subject.

“It gives me a push to see my players promoted to the senior team or see them play for India. I don’t think that much about family, as I’m still involved in coaching. I have no tension or anything in that aspect. My thinking is only about football and helping the young players improve,” Bino George finished.

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