#TFGtake - appointment of Guimaraes is sign Mumbai City are prioritizing performance over gimmick
MUMBAI CITY FC have decided to abandon the gimmicky employment of a "player-manager" and opted for an experienced candidate for the 2016 edition of the Indian Super League in Alexandre Guimarães.
Last year, the Ranbir Kapoor co-owned franchise ran into a lot of trouble with Nicolas Anelka at the helm of the team. A lot of the players found him lacking in man management and leadership qualities, and there was a lot of discord in the dressing room. Midfielder Andre Moritz left the team in the middle of the tournament over this, and so did assistant coach Oscar Bruzon.
Having learned their lesson, this time the franchise has gone for a head coach with a proven track record, good technical knowledge and a personality that compliments the squad rather than outshining it... basically a full reversal from the PR-primary appointment that Nicolas Anelka was.
Born in Brazil, Guimarães became a citizen of Costa Rica at the age of 21. He used to be a midfielder in his playing days and earned 16 caps for his adopted country. In 1992, he hung up his boots and embarked on a managerial career. He has had 2 decades' worth of coaching experience, including stints at top division clubs in Costa Rica, UAE and China like Belén, Deportivo Saprissa, Al Wasl, Al Dhafra and Tianjin Teda. But the highlights of his career are 2 stints with the Costa Rica national team, especially the one leading up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Taking charge in 2005, Guimarães was working with a team in tatters. He re-organized the squad from scratch and slowly built on its strength and successfully led an extremely difficult campaign to qualify for the World Cup in Germany. Although the team didn't do that well in finals, making it there in the first place was considered to be a great achievement given the short time Guimarães had to improve the squad.
Mumbai, join us in giving a warm Mumbaikar welcome to your new coach, Alexandre Guimaraes! pic.twitter.com/jyNlg9Oah3
— Mumbai City FC (@MumbaiCityFC) April 19, 2016
In a way, the way he finds the Mumbai City squad now is similar to that of Costa Rica in 2005. Poorly organized and low on morale after the forgettable stints in the first two editions of ISL, the franchise will be looking desperately for a lift in its performance this year and having someone like Guimarães in charge is one of the first steps they could take to work their way towards that goal.
The coach himself, who has not had a managerial role since 2014, said he was delighted to put his coaching hat back on with Mumbai City,
“I have been coaching in Asia for a few years now and the Indian growth story is something that has caught my eye for quite a while. I was always keen to be a part of this massive football movement, and over my conversations with the club, I almost instantly knew that Mumbai City FC would be the perfect club for me to make my foray into Indian football. I am very excited about this new challenge and I hope, that together with the entire Mumbai City FC team, we deliver a successful season to the people of Mumbai.”
The 3rd edition of ISL is expected to begin in October 2016, and most of the franchises are expected to start their preparation camps around late July and early September.
