COACH CONTROL: ISL will be a crash course for inexperienced Carlos; will sharpen him

THE THING THAT MADE HEADLINES when Roberto Carlos joined the Daily Dynamos was the fact that the legendary Brazilian free-kick artist was coming out of retirement to play in the ISL. But it was quite clear that his role as a player in Dynamos' quest to reclaim lost pride would be marginal at best. His main role, obviously, is going to be that of a coach. 

Now, enough has been written on the footballing prowess of Roberto Carlos the player, including a scientific research paper. But his records as a coach, while showing some promise, still put him in the category of a developing manager still going through the learning hoops. So far he has spent two seasons wearing the managers' shoes and while they have been nothing spectacular, he has displayed the makings of a methodical coach who knows how to guide his team through a stable season. 

In 2013-14 he first took up coaching Turkish Super Lig mid-table club Sivassapor who had finished 12th in the previous season. Under the management of Roberto Carlos, they managed to put up a little more competition, and finished 5th on the table. Next season, Roberto took up the managerial position at Akhisar Belediyespor, another mid-table club at the Super Lig. He got them a 12th position at the end of the season, two spots below where they finished the season before. There were undoubtedly other factors that contributed to these results, but the manager's role behind a team's performance over a full-season league can hardly ever be over-estimated. 

The challenge that Roberto faces now is that the ISL is nothing like the multitudes of football leagues he has played and coached in. Taking control of a mid-table team and delivering a stable season is not appreciated here; it lacks that kind of diversity and nuance. 

Forget the 5th placed Delhi Dynamos, even bottom-table NorthEast United are facing the pressure to win the title. In any other league that would have been an immature, outrageous expectation to have of a club. But in ISL any finish below 4th is considered a failure. And even if a team ends the regular season on the top of the table, all that is rendered worthless if they lose in the semi-finals. ISL, though it calls itself a league, does not judge its clubs the way a football league does.

And that can be a boon and a bane for Coach Carlos. He can have a run like Habas, somehow making it to the semi-finals, then win by whiskers and end up being called the champions. Or he can end up like Materazzi, doing everything he can to finish top of the table then losing in the semi-finals, and having to defend a "failed campaign".

But one thing is for sure: the dense, short ISL will be like a crash course at managing a club in a league. Roberto can gain a lot of experience very quickly, while going through the ups and dips in form, injuries, travels, weather conditions, strategy adjustments like a whirlwind. And in the end, whatever happens, he will come out as a hardened, wiser coach. 

Maybe he will kill it in his second season.