ISL - INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE - NEWS

Taylor: Jhingan should go to Europe; it would be a fantastic experience

As a player, he manned the midfield for a number of English clubs, most noteworthy being his stint with Tottenham Hotspur in the seventies. He would later step into the manager’s boots for many English clubs, as well as for the U-20 and U-21 English national team squads, the Bahrain national team; there would also be a stint as a caretaker coach for the England national team. However, coming to India was a refreshing experience for Peter Taylor who marks his debut as the head coach of Kerala Blasters FC in Hero Indian Super League Season (ISL) 2015. In an exclusive chat with indiansuperleague.com, Taylor shared his thoughts on the Kochi-based side and his first ‘Indian outing’. Some excerpts from the interview...

While other teams chose to train abroad, what made you opt for Thiruvananthapuram for your training sessions?

This is my first time with Kerala Blasters FC. I decided to stay in India for our pre-season [training]. I felt that I wanted a lot of foreign players to get used to India, playing in India with the heat and humidity.

What are your expectations from Chris Dagnall and Sanchez Watt?

Chris and Sanchez are lively forwards and [can] score a goal. I looked at Kerala Blasters’ last season where they scored only nine goals and I felt it needed a bit more pace, a bit more movement upfront. So I’m expecting them to do well.

" I think we’ve got some talented players in India and it would be great if they get to play in front of such huge crowds."

Peter Taylor

Do you think Sandesh Jhingan would be a good fit on the European football circuit?

Jhingan, I must say, had a very good last season in the ISL. And in the three weeks I’ve been in the camp, I’ve been very impressed. I keep talking to him that maybe one day, he should go to Europe because I think it would be a fantastic experience and he’s got such a good attitude that he would indeed do very well.

Before coming to the Hero ISL, what perceptions did you have about Indian football and how has that changed?

I always knew, coming here, that the players would be dedicated, with a tremendous attitude. And that hasn’t changed a bit. I’ve been working with them for three weeks and they’ve shown me how good they want to be. I think we’ve got some talented players in India and it would be great if they get to play in front of such huge crowds.

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Indian Super League: Dagnall, Watt star for Blasters in 7-0 

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The former Barnsley striker scored a hat-trick as Peter Taylor’s outfit registered a comfortable win…

Kerala Blasters recorded their fifth victory in six practice games as they downed AG’s Office Recreation Club 7-0 on Tuesday evening at the Greenfield Stadium, Thiruvanthapuram.

The good news for the Sachin Tendulkar co-owned side is all of their strikers were on the score-sheet. Chris Dagnall scored  hat-trick, Sanchez Watt ended with a brace while Mohammed Rafi and Mananadeep Singh had a goal each to their name.

The team lined-up in a 3-5-2 formation and Sandesh Jhingan being the only player who played for the entire duration of the tie.

Indian Super League Team Profile: FC Pune City

The Deccan franchise of the ISL will look to build on their sixth place finish and certainly have the ability to do so, as Goal deciphers...

October is a special time of the year in Pune. Fresh from the festivities and rains that grip and lash the city in September, the onset of winter is shunted to a side by the rich hue of autumn that takes clout of the Information Technology (IT) hub. It's also that time of the year, when the Indian Super League (ISL) returns to the dux focus of the country and the Maratha City is no different. Punekars all around India and the world are hoping for a stellar campaign from their franchise, FC Pune City, after a disappointing outing in the inaugual season of the tournament.

However, after all the hype and the intensity of support following their off-season recruitment drive, which included a complete managerial as well as player overhaul, are the Orange and Purple franchise really ready to take forth the trophy from the halcyon settings of Kolkata to the land of Osho?  

PERFORMANCE LAST SEASON

FC Pune City's inaugural run-out in the ISL burnt out faster than one could click their fingers. The ownership of the franchise was won by the Wadhwan group, who continue to be its patrons in chief. They are joined by Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan as co-owner. In keeping tandem with several clubs who entered into strategic partnerships at the time, ala Delhi Dynamos and Dutch Eredivisie team Feyenoord, the Maratha team signed on an agreement with Italian Serie A side Fiorentina. The team would play their home games at 12000-seater Shree Chhatrapati Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune. 

Under the tutelage of vastly experienced Italian coach Franco Colomba, FC Pune City made a raft of signings, which included the likes of World Cup winner and Juventus legend David Trezeguet as their marquee player. That was followed by Kostas Katsouranis, David Magliochetti, Davide Colomba, Bruno Cirillo and John Goosens. On the Indian front, the side wasn't shabby either. They had the ilk of Arindam Bhattacharya, Lenny Rodrigues, Pritam Kotal and Israil Gurung to name a few established players. What followed, however, was a season of utter dyspepsia.  

The team began their campaign with just four points from four games, which included a 5-0 thumping at the hands of state rivals Mumbai City FC. Though a boomerang change in form saw them beat Atletico de Kolkata away from home and register three wins in six games overall, the hammer would soon come down on the team, with one victory in their next EIGHT games, which included four loses.

The nadir of their stay in the ISL's group stages was a completely askew performance, at home, in a must win game against Delhi Dynamos, which the away team won by a goal scored in the 88th minute. They had to face Kerala Blasters in a fouth place decider, in the tournament, but after trailing early to an Iain Hume goal, the team somehow managed to give up the ghost and lose 1-0 thereby ending their campaign.   

PRE-SEASON

Camp Location – Gloria training camp, Antalya, Turkey 

Results:

FC Pune City 3-1 East Bengal  

THE MANAGER - DAVID PLATT

There had to be a change of guard at the Pune-based franchise after coach Franco Colomba's reign was cut-short on account of the team's expulsion at the group stages. In stepped former Manchester City assistant coach David Platt. The Englishman has had a vastly experienced and successful career thorughout the Serie A and English Premier League as a player, plying his trade with the likes of Juventus and Arsenal. 

Platt has however dabbled with management a lot earlier than somemay have anticipated. He was a manager for Sampdoria soon after the culmination of his career at Arsenal, but had to leave the post as many in the Serie A didn't believe he had the necessary coaching qualifications. He then took over at the famous English club Nottingham Forest, for whom he made a fleeting playing return, as player-manager. His time at Forest, a team formerly coached by managerial thorough-bred Brian Clough, was ill-fated and he had to vacate the position after two years in the job. 

The doors would however open for him to try his hand at training fledlings, with the English Football Association (FA) appointing him the manager of the U-21s. He guided the English team to the 2002 European Championships, but had to resign three years into his job following a capitulation by his side, as they failed to reach the 2004 edition of the tournament. 

The Englishman's roller coaster of a career swung to the zenith when he was appointed as the first team coach of Manchester City, in 2010, under Roberto Mancini. He would help the team win their second Premier League title in 2012, and was subsequently elevated to the position of the Italian coach's assistant in the summer of 2012. Mancin's reign at the top subsequently ended the following year, with the Citizens failing to retain their title and Platt headed for the exit with Mancini.    

ACQUISITIONS

It's fair to say FC Pune City's management had already mapped out their squad restructuring well before the previous season ended. Not a single foreigner from the previous ISL has been retained by the Indian side, including Greek lynchpin Katsouranis. The implant of foreign pedigree has been startling with Adrian Mutu, a Romanian striking icon, signing on as the team's marquee in attack. He is joined by Tuncay Sanli, a former Turkish international with experience in the top leagues of Germany and England.

Yendrick Ruiz is another addition to the strike force, as the Costa Rican who is also the brother of former Fulham attacker Bryan Ruiz, seeks to make an impression on the league.

Alongside in offense, come Wesley Verhoek and Kalu Uche of Dutch and Nigerian nationality respectively. Verhoek, 29, has played for Dutch sides Den Haag and Feyenoord as a striker whilst Uche, 32, has played for Malaga and Levante.

The midfield of the team has been buffed up as well, with World Cupper, former Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla midfielder Didier Zokora has added his name to the roster, whilst James Bailey, a former Coventry City and Derby County medio well known to Platt, has been signed on as well. 

In defense, Roger Johnson, an ex-Birmingham City centre-back is a big addition, whilst Nicky Shorey, formerly an Aston Villa and Fulham left-back, has registered his slot in the team. Diego Colotto, an experienced Argentinian central defender is also expected to feature after inking a deal with the Pune franchise. Steve Simonsen, a former Evertonian, has been drafted in to challenge Bhattacharya between the sticks. 

But FC Pune City's most important buys, by a country mile, has been on the Indian front. Having the upper hand of most of their teams in the ISL auction in late July, the team spent an eight figure sum to snatch midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh, India's best player on the domestic front for the last year, whilst the sub-continent's latest sensation Jackichand Singh was also bought for a seven digit sum at the auction. 

Govin Singh, Gouramangi Singh, Bikash Jairu and Sushanth Mathew were additions to the Indian contingent as Fanai Lalrempuia was drafted in as their U23 developmental player. Gurjinder Kumar was loaned in from Salgaocar whilst the Orange and Purple retained the core of their Indian squad from last season.

    

STRENGTHS

FC Pune City's first major victory has been off the pitch, with the key additions of Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Jackichand Singh to the attack. The wings propose a tantalizing combination of out-right pace in Singh and Gurung, with Lyngdoh's versatility to provide those defense cleaving balls and intelligent runs into the opposition box a headache for any team on their day. 

Platt has added quality to his staff as well. The likes of Massimo Battara, a former Manchester City and Schalke goalkeeping coach and Matt Radcliffe, a former Manchester United physiotheraptist, will provide the franchise with maximum motivation off it and it will be interesting to see how their influence is channelled on the pitch. 

Another important factor is the balance Pune City have added to their squad complete with strength in depth not compromising their back-up options in the field. There seems to be a method of choosing players evident and the Deccan franchise will certainly head into this season a lot more organized than their last campaign. 

WEAKNESSES

The biggest folly of Platt's grand plan for the franchise is not so much in the assembly of his side as in the absolute cohesion of his squad. From the ISL, they were the team to head to a top class training facility in Antalya Turkey, but it's discombobulating to understand that the side have played just ONE pre-season friendly, whereas the other sides have faced an average of at least four sides, mostly foreign, in their respective countries of pre-season. Even Kerala Blasters, who were the only team not to head abroad have played close to SEVEN friendlies, albeit, with lower strength opposition. 

Lyngdoh is the jewel in the team's crown. Coming off a remarkable season in the I-League and sweeping away all the awards on the domestic front, the Shillong-born midfielder will be the cynosure of FC Pune City's fans eyes. However, the key question here is if the midifelder will be crowded out of the game. Sweeping through FC Pune City's midfield and it becomes quite clear that Eugeneson will be the key creator for his team. But that will motivate the opposition to close him down further and perhaps impede the Pune waterfall into a bottleneck. 

Finally, whilst Pune's team is certainly more balanced, the preservation of a razor sharp attack is a major worry. The factor of age comes to the fore here and whilst Mutu and Sanli maybe a stellar signings, at 36 and 33 years of age respectively, one cannot expect them to start every game. Therefore the ilk of Verhoek and Uche will need to step-up. But with just seven goals in 31 games combined between the two of them last year, Platt will request the midfield to up the ante with goals from their end as well. 

Can FC Pune City score from midfield as well? With Jackichand and Lyngdoh providing 11 goals between them last season the onus will be on them to deliver again. Maybe just a litte too much onus.  

KEY PLAYERS

Eugeneson Lyngdoh:

The Indian midifielder, as already stated, is the jewel in his team's side having been voted by his Indian peers as the best player in the country for the 2015 I-League season. The former Rangdajied United player has blossomed under the tutelage of Ashley Westwood at Bengaluru FC and it will be interesting to see how Platt gets the best out of him and if he can score more than just the six goals he came up with in the I-League campaign. Lyngdoh missed the last ISL and will be keen to make a mark on it this season. 

Adrian Mutu:

Mutu represents a marquee signing the franchise have been chasing for the last year. FC Pune City's management have nabbed their man and with him hitting form with Petrolul Ploiești in the Romanian league in 2013-14 season, it seems the ISL is crying out for the record goal-scoring Romanian icon. 

Jackichand Singh:

At just 23 years of age, Jackichand's rise is synonymous with FC Goa's Romeo Fernandes, who went on to perform well in the inaugural ISL season. The Royal Wahingdoh winger has five goals to his name from the record finish for the north eastern I-League club and he will be lookingh to turn the screw on his ISL opponents, irrespective of their stature.
  

FULL SQUAD

Goalkeepers:  L. Thapa, A. Bhattacharya, S. Simonsen

Defenders: R. Johnson, G. Singh, N. Shorey, D, Ravanan, P. Kotal, G.r Kumar, D. Colotto, G. Singh

Midfielders: I. Gurung, E. Lyngdoh, D. Zokora, J .Bailey, L. Rodrigues, M Maithani, S.Mathew, F. Lalrempuia, B. Jairu

Forwards: A. Mutu, Y. Ruiz, T. Sanli, W. Verhoek, K. Uche, J. Singh

“Yes, we would like to consider that we are among the favourites. We've gone on and bought well. We have brought in the targets that we've wanted. I have said this before and I will say this again, we will be among the favourites." - David Platt (FC Pune City Manager)