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Why Chennai City should be a lesson for Kolkata giants to show faith in local talents

Published at :May 21, 2019 at 9:54 PM
Modified at :December 13, 2023 at 1:01 PM
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(Courtesy : Souvik Banerjee/ Khel Now)

Uttiyo Sarkar


The Kolkata giants are already in the transfer market and have secured some impressive signings.

Chennai City’s extraordinary achievement in winning the I-League feels surreal even months after it actually took place. In their first proper season under Akbar Nawas, they didn’t just play like underdogs but dominated games akin to proper heavyweights. In one year, the inspired coach transformed them from being bottom-feeders to the top of the food chain.

While the fantastic foreign core gets much of the plaudits for the achievement, it was a complete team effort. Nawas’ speciality lies in his equality in treating every player similarly, but his emphasis on giving confidence to the local talent is a lesson for every foreign coach in India. Indeed, the thorough research he put through into analyzing the best local talents from Tamil Nadu was exceptional.

Months before the I-League was set to go underway, he started sneakily scouting talents from around the state. Nawas kept a close eye on his team during the Chennai Football Association (CFA) state league, which he didn’t really need to. The 43-year-old didn’t get paid extra for the local games, but kept a close eye on every game as his players endured the scorching heat to plough through the local competition.

It was the tenacity he saw in the CFA first division which sparked the Singaporean coach’s belief in their talent. He invited many promising talents up for trials, upon which a selected few made the final cut-list. They were ingrained into the team, where Nawas took a risk by selecting a majority of local Tamil Nadu players in his starting XI. It all worked wonders.

While other teams relied on talents from around India, majorly from the NorthEast states, Nawas made Chennai stick to their roots. As a result, he was repaid with some excellent football sparked by the insane work-rate of the players. The local players, representing their state and having something to play for, gave it their utmost best throughout the tournament. Experienced heads like Edwin Vanspaul mixed well with bright youngsters like Ajithkumar Kamaraj or Alexander Romario Jesuraj.

Moreover, other local talents like Charles Anandraj, Sriram B and Pravitto Raju also excelled in keeping a dynamic shape to Chennai City. Lauded by the encouraging Spanish talents, they went all the way. As Indian football finds itself in crossroads after an encouraging AFC Asian Cup journey, more encouraging figures like Akbar Nawas need to rise up. In the I-League, traditional giants like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal must pay heed to their own developing youngsters.

It’s not like they’re not producing talented, hard-working youngsters from their own affirmed youth system. Both enjoyed relatively prolific Hero Elite League campaigns. They dominated the group stages, before faltering in the knockout stages with the smallest margins. Both Alejandro Menendez and Antonio “Kibu” Vicuna should put more emphasis on youth going forward.

ALSO READ: Indian Football Season Review 2018-19: East Bengal

The upcoming IFA Shield is also a tournament they should follow. The Kolkata giants dominated their way into the finals last season, where East Bengal prevailed. However, the young talents displayed some impressive football making some worthy of a senior call-up. Local youngsters like rising goalkeeper Ayon Roy, winger Dip Saha could be given opportunities next season. By giving more opportunities to Samad Ali Mallick and Manoj Mohammed last season, Menendez’s proven an ability to inspire local talent.

The Spaniard’s philosophy is one to improve East Bengal’s fortunes as well as make for brighter development for Indian Football. Despite working well with foreigners, he managed to improve many Indian talents last season and with more preparation, this time can do even better. Kibuna, on the other hand, has quite the job at his hand. To make things easier, he needs to replace the deadwood at Mohun Bagan with the blooming young talents from their impressive youth academy. Former I-League winning coach Khogen Singh will pick out the best of the bunch for him.

ALSO READ: Top five Players Kibu Vicuna should aim to sign for Mohun Bagan

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Sankarlal Chakraborty displayed a keen eye for increasing Bengal football’s reputation. By giving opportunities to Arijit Bagui, Pintu Mahata, Sourav Das and more, he won the Calcutta Football League thanks to major contributions from the Kolkata core. However, inexperience along with injury problems led to his sacking midway through the I-League. That shouldn’t worry Kibuna from giving young players a chance. A younger Sourav Das, Deep Saha and Deep Bag have all performed well enough in youth level to deserve senior call-ups, at least in the Calcutta Football League.

The I-League winners in the past three years have all relied upon brilliant work from their inbuilt talent to lead them to the trophy. Rather than aiming for marquee players or big foreigners, it’s time the Kolkata giants follow the same model. They have the resources around the state to churn out hard-working, talented players who’ll pour their heart out for them. Rather than being lazy with their selection, it’s time both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan scout players better and pay more heed to their bright academy products to oust any pending underdog story ahead. 

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