MATCH PREVIEW: It's a battle of seasoned minds as Taylor takes on Farias
THERE'S SOMETHING SPECIAL about a match that brings together two footballing minds that are known for their quirky creative achievements and pits them against each other. And that's exactly about to happen at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi tonight.
Peter Taylor and Cesar Farias, two coaches known for their flair for identifying young talent and showcasing them in the biggest stage, will lead Kerala Blasters and NorthEast United into battle. Both in a new tournament with largely new-look teams, this makes for an exciting tactical encounter between two seasoned footballing minds.
Peter Taylor will be missing the team's star defender Sandesh Jhingan, and Cavin Lobo who are on national duty. His marquee defender Carlos Marchena, too, is injured and out till next week. But he wil take confidence in some of the players he brought over from England, including keeper Stephen Bywater and strikers Chris Dagnall and Sanchez Watt. In the midfield, he has the likes of Joao Coimbra and Pulga. But his Indian contingent, too, is very much up for the task, with the likes of Mehtab Hossain, young Shankar Sampingraj, and local boy C. K. Vineeth present in the side.
As for Cesar Farias, he is missing his marquee too. Simao Sabrosa is out with a foot injury and looks set to miss the next couple of games. But by his own admission, the crux of his team lies in its home-grown talent. And it is with them that he wants to turn things around for the John Abraham-owned franchise,
"I don't need to know what happened last year. I'm here to make this team champion... I have a lot of local talent in my team which I want to feature."
Farias will be missing Aiborlang Khongjee who is away on national duty. But he will have Robin Gurung and Cedric Hengbart to fall back on. In the midfield there are the likes of Saju Pradhan, Seityasen Singh along with the experienced presence of Miguel Garcia and Kondwani Mtonga. Up front there's Nicolas Velez who turned heads with his exploits in the S-League, becoming top scorer of the season.
Coaching staff of both teams claim they are coming off a fruitful pre-season. NorthEast United spent their time in South Africa where they played some of the top division sides of the country, while Kerala Blasters stayed home to help their foreign players acclimatise to Indian conditions. But the heavy rains going on in Kochi for the last two days will perhaps prove to be an extra advantage for the home side, as they will be more accustomed to the soft soil that the Kerala rain leaves behind. Yesterday it rained so bad no team got to practice.
Kerala has been one of the most exciting venues in the ISL, with the franchise recording the highest average attendance in the previous season. Coach Peter Taylor, too, is impressed with the excitement around football in the state after spending the last couple of months here,
"A lot of our confidence comes from the fans. In England, even small teams have huge numbers of fans. It's the same here."
As the last game of ISL's first round fixtures goes underway tonight, there is no doubt that the fans will once again turn out in large numbers to announce their loyalty to the franchise that missed out on the title by whiskers last year. For NEUFC, however, it will be a battle to make themselves known as a team that is ready to shed the bottom-table tag from last season and announce their challenge for the title.
Probable starting XI:
Kerala Blasters: Stephen Bywater, Marcus Williams, Saumik Dey, Gurwinder Singh, Peter Ramage, Shankar Sampingraj, Joao Coimbra, Mehtab Hossain, Pulga, C. K. Vineeth, Chris Dagnall
NorthEast United: Rehenesh TP, Zohmingliana Ralte, Cedric Hengbart, Robin Gurung, Seityasen Singh, Sanju Pradhan, Miguel Garcia, Bruno Herrero Arias, Kondwani Mtonga, Diomansy Kamara, Nicolas Velez
