Scouting Report- Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha: Bengaluru FC's midfield prodigy

The starlet has shown glimpses of his talent playing for the Blues in the Elite League.

One of the most successful clubs in India in recent times, Bengaluru FC boast not only about their trophy count, but also their academy. Their setup has produced several players, who have gone on to become part of the first-team for the Blues - or feature elsewhere.

Khel Now takes a detailed look at the career and future prospects of Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha, the midfield starlet who plies his trade for the Blues and has the potential to become one of the finest in the country in time.

Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha has made 40 appearances across various youth levels for Bengaluru FC so far. In the 2019-20 season, he played 32 matches and was also a part of the side that qualified for the final round of the 2019-20 Elite League. The 18-year-old is expected to be a part of the club's senior team in the coming seasons and currently trains with their reserves side.

Scouting Report

Full Name: Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha

Age: 18

Date of Birth: February 6, 2002

Position: Midfield

Current club: Bengaluru FC; joined January 1, 2018

Background

Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha is a former U Mumba player and played for their youth sides till 2018. He was also a regular in his home state Mizoram's junior teams at the same time.

In 2017, Naushad Moosa - the assistant coach of Bengaluru FC - scouted the youngster while he was training with the Mizoram U-17 team. It was Moosa who then brought him to the Garden City, where Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha signed his first contract on January 1, 2018. There has been no looking back for him since, as he has performed well enough so far to become a mainstay in their U-18 side and the reserves.

Elite League debut

Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha made his debut in the Hero Elite League in the 2018-19 season. His first start for Bengaluru FC was against FC Goa Reserves in a game held on January 19, 2019. Although, he played just eight matches for them in that campaign, he managed to register his maiden goal for the club and was also called up to the reserves side due to his consistency.

In the following term (2019-20), he made 32 appearances and scored one more goal, as the Blues progressed to the final round of the competition, before it was suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent nationwide lockdown.

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Positives

Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha is physically strong and is a hard worker on the pitch. According to Moosa, he is someone who loves to move freely and always wants to take on opponents in 1v1 situations. He also has a very quick transition from attack to defense and vice-versa, making him an efficient box-to-box player.

Selfless in front of goal, Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha finds space and passes the ball effectively even in the opponents' box. It can hence be said that he is very adept at creating chances - one of his attributes which can be improved more in the years to come.

Aspects To Improve

Unfortunately, one of Lalchhanchhuaha's qualities - his selflessness in the final third - also becomes a drawback on some occasions. The midfielder chooses to pass the ball instead of shooting even when he has a clear sight of goal, because he himself does not rate his finishing skills highly.

"I would say, he needs to work on his finishing and should take more shots. Once he improves his decision-making in the attacking third, I am sure he will be on the scoresheet more often," Moosa said. Since Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha is young, he has enough time to work on this aspect. Being a midfielder, he also has to work on his passing ability.

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Similar To

A midfielder is the most complete player in any team. Despite being fairly young, Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha fits that description well. At just 18 years of age, he has already shown similarities to Renedy Singh, the former captain of the Indian national team.

Singh himself started early in his career, having debuted for East Bengal at the young age of 17 and having earned his first cap for India just two years later. If the starlet continues to create a similar impact with Bengaluru FC, he may not be far away from a spot in their senior team's starting XI, and may even go on to pair up with the likes of Sahal Abdul Samad in India's midfield.

Future

Upon being asked about Lalchhanchhuaha's future, Naushad Moosa made it clear that he will be a part of the club's first-team plans in the seasons to come.

"Emanuel is in our plans for the senior team. He trains with the reserves at the moment. His progress depends entirely on him and on how much effort he puts in working on his strengths and weaknesses. If he stays focused and grounded while also trying to give consistent performances, I am sure his time will come," the 48-year-old said.

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