Bhaichung Bhutia: This time, it may not be NorthEasts chance The former Indian national team captain has opined that the ISLs schedule will force coaches to look after their players more than ever.... Bhaichung Bhutia, the former Indian striking legend and now a pundit on the Indian Super League (ISL), has opined that whilst NorthEast United’s team have shown glimpses of greatness, the age of the team will work against them as they bid to grab a top four spot, especially with the large amount of pressure on the fledglings’ shoulders. He also sang praises of teams such as Delhi Dynamos and FC Goa both of whom with latest victories have gotten themselves back into the reckoning for a top four berth. “Goa and Delhi Dynamos have been the teams with a never say die spirit. Then there is the young NorthEast United FC which has shown a lot of spunk. They have a young side with a few good Indian and foreign players. With time they will come good, but this time may not be NorthEasts chance. It will be tough for them because it will be all about pressure from here on. It is going to be a big test for the young squad but you never know, we may have a few surprises in store,” he opined, in his latest column for the Times of India He revealed that whilst teams will now begin to go for the jugular, the coaches will need to keep a cautious eye on who remains fit for the matches ahead. “At the moment, apart from Chennayin the other teams are not that badly affected by injuries. I think from here on coaches need to gamble on how they pace the players and how much FC Goa have come back strongly and that is what is so special about the tournament. All teams have kept coming back from the dead.” On the topic of Chennaiyin FC, who lead the ISL table by three points after a resounding victory over Mumbai City FC coupled with the unlucky capitulation of Atletico de Kolkata against the Kerala Blasters, Bhutia urged that any progress past the semi-finals of the tournament for the Blues will be dependent on the return of lynchpins Gouramangi Singh and Elano Blumer. The latter has been revealed by Goal to have returned to Brazil to seek a faster rehabilitation from a calf injury and his presence will be vital considering the fact John Stiven Mendonza has already been ruled out for the rest of the competition. He could possibly be replaced by former AC Milan stalwart Alessandro Nesta. “Injuries to key players are a big worry in the lead-up to the final month of the ISL, more so for Chennaiyin FC who have not one but three players struggling with injuries. In the case of Chennaiyin two key players, Elano and Mendoza, are injured and that is a body blow to any side, especially Chennaiyin because they are doing so well.” “I would think that with the league progressing as it is, the teams have to travel and play so much that injuries become a part and parcel of any player’s progress. In the case of Chennai, even the absence of Gouramangi Singh is a big blow. They look certain to make the semifinals, but how quickly these three players come back for Chennayin will determine their progress to the title round. Hopefully, these three injuries are just a blip on the radar for a very fine side,” added the former record goal scorer for the Blue Tigers. Bhutia concluded by surmising that Indian football’s rising stars will give added impetuous to the footballing growth of the nation “I have always been impressed by a few Indian players. The likes of Subash Singh, Sandesh Jingam and Balwant Singh have caught my eye in the past few matches. That is the essence of ISL – to create Indian heroes for a new emerging India. Maybe this is one way of saying Made in India,” he believed.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 11:14:35 +0000
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