Anelka finds new scapegoat to shift blame; says management picked a poor team

MUMBAI CITY player-coach Nicolas Anelka has called out the franchise's management for giving him a team that has been lacking in fire-power. While speaking to reporters in the pre-match press conference before Mumbai take on Chennaiyin FC tomorrow, Anelka said things would have been different if he had got the chance to pick his own players.

The ex Arsenal, Chelsea and Ream Madrid striker has been vocal about his displeasure with the team for the past few weeks. Time and again he spoke out about how this year's Mumbai City squad lacked the "will to win" and proper discipline. But today is the first time he has spoken out about his views on the administration.

Anelka told reporters that most of the signings were already done by the time he was appointed as the manager,

"I was unavailable to bring many players; only 3 out of 26. So it was difficult. If I had chosen the players, everything would have been different. but I came here and had to believe in the players they gave me."

The timing of these comments makes it seem like a retroactive deflection of accountability. At the kit launch before the start of ISL, Anelka had praised the team and promised a title challenge; at least a top four spot. Also, he wasn present during the ISL Auctions and Draft where most of the Indian players were picked. As a coach present on the occasion, he can't really blame others if he hasn't done his homework to offer effective insight on who to pick. 

 Asked about the departure of Andre Moritz, Anelka refused to reveal much, saying that it wasn't his decision to let him go,

"Moritz had to go because he had to go. And I didn't try talking to him because it was a decision made by the club management."

He did not comment on whether the popular attacking medio left because of a spat with him. 

However, Anelka softened his tone when commenting about Sunil Chhetri, who, he said earlier, was more fit for playing as a winger than the number 10 position,

"Sunil is very technical and less of a striker and more of a midfielder for me... he can score goals and he's clever. He scored at the beginning and is struggling now... but he is a fighter and I can't say anything wrong about him. He's done it before and I'm sure he will do it again."

But this backpedalling comes too late. Anelka openly criticized his team's most successful goal-getter after he struggled due to being played out of position by the player-coach. If there was already lack of unity inside the team, the coach dissing the number 10 must have fuelled it further.

Meanwhile, Sunil Chhetri has made a quiet return to his old playing position that brought him success earlier during the campaign. Anelka said that he will refrain from fielding himself against Chennaiyin FC tomorrow. It's possible that he has already spent his last minute on the pitch as a Mumbai city player.

Anelka will not return to Mumbai City for ISL 2016, and it's a good thing for the franchise. Having the coach constantly antagonize the players and then the management to shift blame from himself for the team not performing well on the pitch will demoralize any team. Hopefully, the management will take heed of the bitter lessons this season has taught them and refrain from repeating the same mistakes in the future.