S'pore coaches work wonders From relegation candidates to I-League champions in a year, Chennai City proved there are more to football miracles than just Leicester City's stunning English Premier League triumph in 2016. In achieving the improbable, head coach Akbar Nawas and his assistant K. Balagumaran also showed that Singaporean trainers are capable of producing such magical moments after leading the Indian club to the league title on Saturday. The duo are believed to be the first local coaches to win a professional football league outside South-east Asia. Former Tampines Rovers coach Akbar told The Straits Times yesterday: "There is great satisfaction after accepting the challenge of taking over a relegation-threatened team, and then winning the league within a year." When the 43-year-old took over the reins last year, Chennai had three games to stave off relegation from the I-League. They beat Churchill Brothers 3-1, lost 7-1 to East Bengal, before securing safety with a 2-1 win over Minerva Punjab in their final match. A year later, the remarkable turnaround was completed in front of 8,000 fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu on Saturday with a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Minerva as both club and head coach clinched their first league title. For Balagumaran, this is his second league title as assistant to V. Sundram Moorthy after winning the 2013 Malaysian Super League title with the LionsXII.
A SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT There is great satisfaction after accepting the challenge of taking over a relegation-threatened team, and then winning the league within a year. AKBAR NAWAS, Chennai City head coach, on the I-League side's dream season.
With 13 wins, four draws and three defeats, Chennai amassed 43 points, one more than second-placed East Bengal. And they did it in style, scoring 48 goals in 20 matches, and never relinquishing their place at the top of the 11-team league from the third match week. The Times of India summarised their triumph as "befitting their dominant campaign, the fulcrum of which was a sustained possession-based football". Akbar said: "Winning the title was the end result of good scouting, our attacking football philosophy, how we trained, prepared and executed our plans during the games. "The club gave me the freedom to impart this to the players despite initial scepticism about whether this will be successful in India. "I never lost sleep over the title race because we were focused and trusted our processes - there was great synergy among the owner, backroom staff and players. In fact, I lost sleep only after we won, with the many phone calls and text messages coming in!" Astutely building the team around five Spaniards from Europe's lower leagues and former S-League star Jozef Kaplan, Akbar also made room for local talents to shine.
PUTTING THE SHINE ON When we got here, the players we had were not from football academies, they were from the streets and so unpolished... now they have won their first professional league title. K. BALAGUMARAN, on the humble backgrounds of many of their players.
Incredibly, Chennai won the league without a single Indian international in their squad. Yet, the goals flowed from every department. Striker Pedro Manzi may be the league's joint-top scorer with 21 goals, but the winning goals against Minerva came from 20-year-old centre-back Gaurav Bora. Balagumaran said: "When we got here, the players we had were not from football academies, they were from the streets and so unpolished. "Many of them are playing in their first professional season and now they have won their first professional league title. "Credit has to go to Akbar for his attacking philosophy because defending was not our strength - we drew 3-3 with Neroca after blowing a 3-0 lead - and to the players for being open to his ideas. "This is definitely the highlight of my career, but I hope there is more to come." That could well be the case as Chennai are now eligible for the 2020 AFC Champions League qualifiers, while sources also told ST that the duo are now on the All India Football Federation's radar, with India's national coach position currently vacant. Representatives from Swiss club FC Basel, who have a 26 per cent equity stake in the Indian club, were at Chennai's coronation and are said to be impressed by the work of Akbar and Balagumaran. While Akbar declined to comment on speculation over his future as he has one more year left on his contract, Balagumaran said: "I hope this achievement shows there are good coaches from Singapore and opens the door for more Singaporean coaches to venture abroad. "If we can start from humble beginnings, work hard with what we have and still find success, there is no reason local coaches can't aim for a job in a professional league in Asia, or perhaps youth teams in Europe."
Manchester United's Champions League hopes were hanging by a thread after a 2-0 home defeat by Paris St Germain in their round-of-16, first leg match on Tuesday, with talisman Paul Pogba sent off PSG take charge with 2-0 win at United, Pogba sent off
Atletico Extend Lead Over Real With Narrow Win Over Eibar during the Spanish league football match between SD Eibar and Club Atletico de Madrid at the Ipurua stadium in Eibar on April 20, 2019 Atletico extend lead over Real with narrow win over Eibar
LONDON: Jurgen Klopp has warned Liverpool's Premier League rivals that the leaders are laying the foundations for long-term success. Klopp's side sit four points clear at the top as they chase Liverpool's first English title since 1990. Liverpool laying groundwork for sustained success, says Klopp Football: Silverware matters most to Emery as Arsenal aim to
Manchester City Pep Guardiola predicts roller-coaster title run-in after Liverpool blip Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes critics have been too quick to write off his side's chances Guardiola predicts roller-coaster title run-in after
Get hold of your International Champions Cup 2019 Singapore - Juventus vs Tottenham Hotspur tickets now, watch as the National Stadium lights up with excitement, and see Juventus FC live with StubHub! 2019-20 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season - Wikipedia Football: Treble winners Manchester City enjoy bus parade FAS' media-rights partner begins bankruptcy process, Football
Brazil soccer star Neymar accused of committing rape in Paris Need to report the video? The King of Football | Rising With Soccer - Duration: 18:58. Rising With Soccer 13,631,336 views. Brazilian football star Neymar accused of raping woman in
Solskjaer boosted by Mourinho's work, claims Van Gaal The 67-year-old Dutchman also suggested United played more exciting football in his time at the helm than they do now. Van Gaal's claims Solskjaer boosted by Mourinho's work, claims Van Gaal
Everton ease past Burnley to keep Europa League dream alive A Ben Mee own goal and a Seamus Coleman header see Everton sign off Premier League campaign at Goodison Park with a 2-0 victory Everton ease past Burnley to keep Europa League dream alive
FA Cup semi-final draw ball numbers below: 1. Manchester City. 2. Watford. 3. Wolves. 4. Brighton. Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android. Available to download from the App Store and Google Play. Brighton to face Manchester City in FA Cup semi-finals
Translate Kill. See 14 authoritative translations of Kill in Spanish with example sentences, conjugations and audio pronunciations. Newcastle United to rival Barcelona for the signing of
Football: Grief in Sevilla as former star Jose Antonio Reyes killed in car crash MADRID (AFP) - Former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Spain star Jose Antonio Reyes has been killed in a car crash, his hometown club Sevilla said on Saturday (June 1). Former Spain and Arsenal striker Jose Antonio Reyes killed in
0 comments:
Post a Comment