Everyone at Odisha FC keen to prove themselves, says Vinit Rai

The 23-year-old revealed that he is working hard to earn the attention of the Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac.

One of the many things Odisha FC midfielder Vinit Rai is looking forward to this season is returning to playing football the Spanish way. Odisha have appointed Kiko Ramirez as their head coach for the upcoming Indian Super League campaign. As much as he's excited, Vinit is also somewhat relieved that a Spanish coach is at the helm again.

"I am really looking forward to it," he tells Khel Now in an exclusive chat. Rai was part of the Odisha FC side that ended with the wooden spoon in the last ISL season, winning two of their 20 league games. It didn't help that they played under three different coaches in a five-month league. But the bigger issue was adapting to a new system.

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"We had a whole new team, who had to adapt to a new system. We were continuously playing under Spanish managers before the sudden shift to a different ideology. It was very challenging and everyone tried but we failed," reminisced Vinit Rai.

After the highs of the Roberto Carlos and Gianluca Zambrotta era, Delhi Dynamos, now rechristened as Odisha FC, seemed to have settled for a Spanish style of football when they appointed Miguel Angel Portugal, the first Spanish coach in the club's history, in 2017. At his unveiling, Portugal had declared that the club would shift to possession-based football.

"My brand of football will be possession football, possession as long as possible, but it will be smart and intelligent possession," the former Real Madrid player had said.

Portugal, as it turned out, didn't last longer than a season. However, Odisha kept the philosophy and took the same path with fellow Spanish manager Josep Gombau for the next two seasons. But ball possession and sleek passing don't guarantee you wins and Odisha learned it the hard way.

A fifth-place finish and two playoffs in the opening three seasons gave away to consecutive eighth-place finishes under Spanish managers. Some progress was seen in the 2019-20 season when Odisha won seven games, the most for the club in a season and ended sixth. However, Gombau left and Odisha's curtains were down again.

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They turned to Stuart Baxter, an experienced British coach with title wins on three different continents. But, a run of eight and 10 winless games respectively in between just two victories resulted in the club's worst-ever finish. And so out went Baxter as Odisha returned to its familiar turf - play possession-based football, develop young players and hire a Spanish coach. Kiko Ramirez will be in-charge for the next ISL season and it is on him that Vinit has pinned his hopes to make Odisha FC relevant again.

"Last season, we were unfortunate," he says, dissecting the reasons behind the woeful performance. "The COVID-19 pandemic and long quarantine periods meant we had very little time to gel together as a team. We lacked coordination on the field. Unlike other clubs, ours was a whole new team with many young players.

"We made mistakes at crucial stages of games, which in a normal season, the coach would have communicated to us during pre-season friendly matches," he pointed out. "But now, we have Kiko Ramirez as our head coach. Josep Gambau is also there in a supporting role. More importantly, we have a pre-season and enough time to prepare. Everyone at the club is aware of last season's disappointments and are keen to prove themselves," adds the Dibrugarh-born player.

Part of the reason Vinit Rai has faith in Ramirez is also because of the influence of past Spanish coaches Portugal and Gombau. "They changed me from a kid to man," he says. "I have learned a lot from both of them.

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"When I joined Delhi Dynamos (2017), the first year it was Miguel Angel Portugal. Then coach Josep Gambau came in for the next two years. Both followed a similar system, which was retaining the ball and advancing when the opportunity came. Move around with the ball and play quick passes among yourselves. Keep the ball at your feet. It is a style that suits me best," says Vinit.

That it has impacted his game is apparent from his pass accuracy of 77.37% at an average of almost 38 passes per game in his ISL career. Last season it dropped down to 67.95% with 35 passes/game. Under Portugal, he averaged 58 passes per game with an accuracy of 85.49%. The numbers were quite similar under Gombau. Vinit is confident Ramirez's arrival will bring the best out of him again.

Still 23, Vinit is already a leader at the club. He captained Odisha FC for the first time in the club's final game last season. They won the match 6-5, despite falling behind twice. Vinit has happy memories of that game and is grateful for the chance "to put on the armband and lead the team." But asserts that there is no one leader in a team. "There has to be a leader in every position," he says. "I am always there for the team."

Odisha are yet to announce their club captain for this season, however, that isn't bothering Vinit Rai. He is focused on improving his performances on the pitch, hoping it opens the door to the national team again. The midfielder's last appearance for India came in 2019 in a 0-1 defeat to Oman in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. He wasn't picked for the final three WC qualifying matches in June. Rai also has not been named in the 23-man probable squad for the friendlies against Nepal.

"It hurts not to see my name in the national squad, but I have to accept the reality. My club didn’t do well last season. Maybe, I also didn’t play that well," says Vinit. However, he knows it is not the end.

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"When this season starts, I want to do everything possible to get back to the national team. Last time, the coach (Igor Stimac) didn’t call me. But, I respect his decision," added the 13-time capped Indian international. "You always feel bad when you’re not picked for the national team, but, we have to move forward. My job is to keep working hard and take it (opportunities) as they come."

Of his 13 appearances for the national team, he's started in only six games. Only two of them have come in five matches under Stimac. However, sporadic appearances and lack of opportunities have not deterred Vinit Rai, eager to make an impression.

"He (Stimac) is an excellent coach and likes to play with the ball from the back. The confidence he shows on the players is tremendous. He gives everyone confidence to play from the back, to keep the ball and move it with passes and then go forward when the opportunity comes," says the 23-year-old.

"It is where I want to be. I want to do better. I want to be back where I was."

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