Hello everyone,
I hope you all are doing well, and importantly are keeping safe. We’ve reached the last month of what’s been an unprecedented year and I’m happy we could get December off to just the start you would have wanted - with three points, a clean sheet and a win over Chennaiyin. We looked solid throughout and had many good performances across all areas on the pitch against a tough Chennaiyin team. It was nice to see us get the reward we deserved with all the points for our first win this season.
The hectic calendar, however, means we have to quickly shift focus to the next challenge in NorthEast United that awaits us tonight. The visitors have had a great start to the season, winning two and drawing two games and will be high on confidence. We too will be keen to build on the win from last week, which makes today a good contest in the offering.
Every passing training session and game is vital for us from a point of view of getting some of our boys to 100%. We are yet to see the best of a few players and I believe it is a matter of time before that happens.
Going by the number of injuries teams are having to deal with, I am pleased with the way we have gone about managing players from a fitness and injury prevention point of view. We took our time with Dimas and felt the game against Chennaiyin was the right one for him to start. All these decisions add up in the end.
As for tonight, we will step on the pitch with a plan and put every effort to execute it well. A win today will help our cause in climbing further up the table and that’s where we have set our sights on. Keep sending all the positive vibes the team’s way and we will be carrying you with us yet again on that pitch tonight!
Love,
Carles
02BFC
Squad
GOALKEEPERS
DEFENDERS
MIDFIELDERS
FORWARDS
03NEU
Squad
GOALKEEPERS
DEFENDERS
MIDFIELDERS
FORWARDS
"ಇಂದಿನ ಪಂದ್ಯವು ಹೇಗೆ ಆದರೂ ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿರುತ್ತದೆ"
ಫತೋರ್ದಾನಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯಲಿರುವ ಇಂದಿನ ಸೆಣಸಾಟಕ್ಕೂ ಮುನ್ನ ರಾಹುಲ್ ಭೆಕೆ, ನಾರ್ಥ್ ಈಸ್ಟ್ ಯುನೈಟೆಡ್ ತಂಡದ ಕುರಿತ ತಮ್ಮ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷೆಗಳು, ಬಯೋ-ಬಬಲ್ ಜೀವನ ಮತ್ತು ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಆವೃತ್ತಿಯ ಆರಂಭದಲ್ಲಿನ ಬ್ಲೂಸ್‌ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನ…
ಲೀಗ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭವು ಹೇಗೆ ಅನ್ನಿಸಿದ್ದರೂ, ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿಯೇ ಇತ್ತು ಎಂಬುದು ನಿಜ. ಆದರೆ ಈ ಪಂದ್ಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿನ ನಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನದಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಉತ್ತಮ- ಬಲವಾದ ಆಟಗಾರರು ಇದ್ದಾರೆ ಎಂದು ತೋರಿಸಿದ್ದೇವೆ, ಆಟಗಾರರು ಪೈಪೋಟಿ ನೀಡಲು ಮತ್ತು ಪಂದ್ಯಾವಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಉತ್ತಮ ತಂಡಗಳನ್ನು ಎದುರಿಸಲು ಸಿದ್ಧರಾಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಅವರ ಬಹುಮುಖ ಪ್ರತಿಭೆ ಮತ್ತು ಆಟದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಭಿನ್ನ ಸ್ಥಾನಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೊಂದಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಅವಶ್ಯಕತೆಯ ಬಗೆಗೆ…
ಇಂದಿನ ಆಟದ ಶೈಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಆಡುವ ಸ್ಥಾನ ಶಾಶ್ವತವಲ್ಲ. ವಿಂಗರ್‌ ಎಲ್ಲದಕ್ಕೂ ಸಿದ್ಧವಾಗಿರಬೇಕು. ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಸ್ಟ್ರೈಕರ್‌ಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ರಕ್ಷಣಾತ್ಮಕವಾಗಿ ಆಡಬೇಕಾದರೆ, ಕೆಲವು ಬಾರಿ ಬೆನ್ನಿಗೆ ನಿಂತು ಸಹಕಾರ ನೀಡುವ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷೆಯಿರುತ್ತದೆ. ಪ್ರತಿ ಪಂದ್ಯದಲ್ಲೂ, ಕೋಚ್ ನನ್ನಿಂದ ಏನು ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆಂದು ನನಗೆ ತಿಳಿದಿದೆ. ಪಿಚ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ತಂಡಕ್ಕೆ ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡುವುದು ನನ್ನ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಗುರಿ, ಮತ್ತು ನಾನು ಅದನ್ನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವವರೆಗೂ, ನಾನು ಯಾವ ಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಡಬೇಕು ಎಂಬುದು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕವಾಗಿ ಆವೃತ್ತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭ…
ಆವೃತ್ತಿಪೂರ್ವ ಕ್ಷಣಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಖುಷಿಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದೆ ಮತ್ತು ಕೆಲವು ಸ್ನೇಹಪರ ಆಟಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನನಗೆ ಆಡುವ ಅವಕಾಶ ಸಿಗಲಿಲ್ಲ, ಆದರೆ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭವಾಗಿದ್ದು ಈಗ ತಂಡಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಕೊಡುಗೆ ನೀಡುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ನನಗೆ ಸಂತಸ ತಂದಿದೆ. ಪಂದ್ಯಾವಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆಡದೆ ಬಹಳ ದಿನಗಳಾಗಿತ್ತು, ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ದೇಹವನ್ನು ಸದೃಢವಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತು ಸಕ್ರಿಯವಾಗಿ ಮರಳಿ ಪಡೆಯುವುದು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿತ್ತು ಮತ್ತು ಕ್ಲಬ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ನನಗೆ ಸಹಕರಿಸಲು ಉತ್ತಮ ವೈದ್ಯಕೀಯ ವೃತ್ತಿಪರರು ಇರುವುದು ಅದೃಷ್ಟ.
ಇಂದಿನ ಪಂದ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾರ್ತ್‌ಈಸ್ಟ್ ಯುನೈಟೆಡ್‌ನಿಂದ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸುವ ಸವಾಲು…
ಇಂದಿನ ಪಂದ್ಯ ಹೇಗೆ ಆದರೂ ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿರುತ್ತದೆ. ನೀವು ಅಂಕಪಟ್ಟಿಯನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸಿದರೆ, ನಾರ್ತ್ ಈಸ್ಟ್ ಕೆಲವು ಉತ್ತಮ ಫಲಿತಾಂಶಗಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆದಿದೆ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಬಹುದು ಮತ್ತು ಅವರು ವಿದೇಶಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಭಾರತೀಯ ಉತ್ತಮ ಆಟಗಾರರನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅವರ ತರಬೇತುದಾರರಿಗೆ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳು ಇವೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಅನುಗುಣವಾಗಿ ತಂಡವು ತಮ್ಮ ಆಟದಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಧಾರಣೆ ಕಂಡಿದೆ. ಈ ಪಂದ್ಯದಿಂದ ಏನನ್ನಾದರೂ ಗಳಿಸಬೇಕಾದರೆ, ನಾವು ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ ಆಟ ಆಡಬೇಕಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಬಯೋ ಬಬಲ್ ಜೀವನ ಮತ್ತು ಈ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ ಮೇಲಿನ ಪರಿಣಾಮಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ...
ಈ ಆವೃತ್ತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬಹಳಷ್ಟು ಬದಲಾಗಿದೆ, ಅದನ್ನು ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಗಮನಿಸಬಹುದು. ನಮ್ಮ ಮೊದಲ ಪಂದ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಭಿಮಾನಿಗಳಿಲ್ಲದ ಖಾಲಿ ಕ್ರೀಡಾಂಗಣಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾಲಿಡುವುದು ತುಂಬಾ ಅಸಮಾಧಾನವನ್ನುಂಟುಮಾಡಿತು, ಆದರೆ ಏನೂ ಮಾಡಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ. ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಕೆಲಸಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುವಷ್ಟಾದರೂ ಅದೃಷ್ಟಶಾಲಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದೇವೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಭಿಮಾನಿಗಳು ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸುರಕ್ಷಿತವಾಗಿದ್ದು, ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ವೀಕ್ಷಿಸಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ ಎಂದು ಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಬಯೋ ಬಬಲ್ ವಾತಾವರಣದಲ್ಲಿ, ಸೀಮಿತ ವಿಷಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಒಗ್ಗಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು ಸುಲಭವಲ್ಲ, ಆದರೆ ಕಳೆದ ಕೆಲ ವಾರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅವು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಸುಧಾರಣೆ ಕಂಡಿದೆ. ನನ್ನ ಮಡದಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾಳೆ ಮತ್ತು ಆಕೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವುದರಿಂದ ಕೆಲ ಕಠಿಣ ಹಂತಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನನ್ನ ಮನಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಫುಟ್‌ಬಾಲ್‌ನಿಂದ ದೂರವಿರಿಸಿ ಉಲ್ಲಾಸ ತರುವಲ್ಲಿ ನನಗೆ ಅವಕಾಶ ನೀಡುತ್ತದೆ, ಇದು ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ನಿಜವಾಗಿಯೂ ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ನಾವು ಈ ಆವೃತ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಯಶಸ್ವಿಯಾಗಿ ಮುಗಿಸಬೇಕು ಮತ್ತು ನಮ್ಮ ಅಭಿಮಾನಿಗಳು ಸಂತಸ ಪಡಲು ನಾವು ಏನನ್ನಾದರೂ ನೀಡಬೇಕೆಂದು ಬಯಸುತ್ತೇನೆ, ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಇಂತಹ ಸಂಧರ್ಭ ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಕಠಿಣವಾದ್ದಾಗಿದೆ.
05Key
PLAYERS
Suresh Wangjam
In this day and age, with the amount of data recorded in every game, it is not difficult to find a stat that highlights the importance of a player to a team. But with someone like Suresh Wangjam, there aren’t any stats that would properly explain what he brings to the team. The best way to understand his role is to go back and rewatch the Chennaiyin FC game. Apart from hassling players all over the park, he was also tasked with the job of shadowing Rafael Crivellaro across the pitch and nullifying his impact on the game, and how he did that. Crivellaro wasn't allowed enough space or time to do his thing, and that was majorly down to the industry of one player. There is a reason we call him El Torito.
Cleiton Silva
To say Cleiton Silva has added some guile and creative flair to the Blues would be an understatement. He isn’t flashy and there aren’t any over-the-top displays of skill. All his moves happen with minimal effort and in the blink of an eye, like the little nutmeg on Jerry that won the team a free kick but was too subtle and quick to be captured by the broadcast cameras. Most modern teams have one player who is afforded freedom from a fixed position and the Brazilian has been that player for the Blues so far. He leads the team when it comes to shots taken and crosses attempted, which shows how he effectively adapts himself between taking central and wide positions.
Dimas Delgado
Dimas Delgado has played little over an hour and half of football this season, but is only second in the team for the number of passes played, trailing Erik Paartalu by just 22. In the Spaniard’s case, we found a stat that can tell most of the story. He started his campaign nursing a niggle that saw his pre-season and initial game time restricted. He came through 90 feisty minutes against Chennaiyin FC without trouble and Carles Cuadrat will be hoping his troubles are behind him. Because when Dimas is on the pitch, the Blues rarely put a foot wrong.
Idrissa Sylla
The Guinean might have been the last foreigner to join the NorthEast United ranks, but he has taken little time to make a mark in the subcontinent. Having made a good impression off the bench in the Highlanders’ opening two games, Sylla has found a spot in the starting 11 since. While he has pace to burn and an eye for goal, he is also versatile like most modern-day strikers. His finishing is as good as his playmaking and he can drift wide to accommodate other forwards into the team.
Kwesi Appiah
And that is where Kwesi Appiah comes into the picture. After being substituted in or out for Sylla in the first three games, the Ghanaian was paired with the Guinean against SC East Bengal and the pair showed that they can function very well as a duo. With positions constantly exchanged and the ability to drop deep or go wide, him and Sylla will have to be closely watched, and marked, by the Blues tonight.
Dylan Fox
Signed ahead of the current campaign, Dylan Fox has settled into life in the League very quickly. Agile, young and with a mature head on his shoulders, the Australian forms a very effective partnership with the more experienced Benjamin Lambot. While his Belgian counterpart brings the aggression and physical strength to the table, Fox is the calm head whose game intelligence helps him be effective without lighting up any stats charts.
Within striking distance
He Suffered An Injury That Completely Ate Into His Off-Season And Set Him Back By Much. But Seven Long And Hard Months Later Semboi Haokip Is Now Knocking On The Door For His Chance...
He joined the social media bandwagon rather late, and even after he did, Semboi Haokip only got as far as a username and a password. So when he came over during the club’s pre-season camp in Bellary to ask for help with a caption, we knew the occasion was special. “I put on football boots for the first time in seven months since my injury. I want to let everyone know about it,” he said with a smile that nothing would contain.
The Bengaluru FC striker had to be taken off on a stretcher in the last game of the league stages against ATK at the Fortress and then spent the next seven months at the Inspire Institute of Sport to rehabilitate his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). Just days earlier, he had etched his name in Bengaluru’s history books by becoming the first player to score four goals for the club in a game when the Blues thumped Paro FC 9-1 at the Fortress in an AFC Cup qualifier. But the joy was soon nipped when he went down, writhing in pain on the same patch of grass. His season was over.
Adding insult to injury – literally – was the fact that Semboi had reached the end of his contract with the Blues. It was the easiest decision for them to part ways with their striker and wish him well for the future. Semboi was ready for that conversation too. Except, it never happened. Instead, there was a fresh contract on the table waiting for the player to sign it.
“It came as a big shock to me. It made sense for the club to say goodbye and I would not have held it against them. But I got a new contract. I feel that moment fastened my comeback. I felt I had a big debt to pay and I wanted to start that very instance. It made me so happy,” he recalls.
Semboi’s road back to recovery needed him to dig deep both physically and mentally, and he admits some days were tougher than the others. “I know that staying back was my best chance to recover well, but I missed home and the rare opportunity of an extended off-season owing to the pandemic. I kept seeing updates from teammates of their time at home and that didn’t help at all. But I soon put it behind me and focused only on one thing - getting back to 100%.
This may be Semboi’s fourth season with the club, but time hasn’t done anything to change his discomfort with the limelight. However, he does admit that he couldn’t shrug off all the affection he received from different quarters through his injury. It started with his teammates who pulled on T-shirts that said ‘Stay Strong Semboi’, during the AFC Cup qualifier against Maziya S&RC. “I was resting in bed and had just tuned into the game when I saw the team wearing T-shirts with my name on it. It made me squirm, but it soon made my heart happy. I felt incredibly important. Every single player and staff sent me a message on the night I suffered the injury, telling me to stay strong and that they were all rooting for me to come back stronger. Then there were so many messages from the fans too. It’s tough to find a bright spot in an injury, but for me, this reaction from everyone around me was my bright spot,” he says.
Finding strength with every passing day, Semboi started slowly and cautiously when the team assembled in Bellary for the first phase of the pre-season. Closely monitored by the medical staff at the club, he finally got a go-ahead to take part in every aspect of training and has since found his name on the squad for all three games in the season so far. He is yet to get his first minutes, but he says he feels better than ever and will answer the call from the boss whenever it comes.
The chat is done and Semboi returns to his room, only to drop in a message. It’s one that thanks the battery of physios at the club that helped him through stages of his recovery. “You can leave everything else out, but please thank Senen, Suhas, Rahul and Levin. Oh, and also our U15 and U13 academy players. They were my only friends through my stay and recovery there.”
They don’t come simpler and sweeter than Semboi. They also don’t come stronger than him.
07Game
Preview
THE MIDFIELD SCRAP
The most intriguing battle that awaits us tonight is the one that will take place in the middle of the park and could well set the tone of the game: Dimas Delgado versus Khassa Camara. The Blues make all the right noises when the Spaniard is on the pitch and his return to full fitness comes as a boost to Carles Cuadrat’s side.
The Blues' no. 14 will be up against Camara, the Mauritanian who spends his time on the pitch snapping at people’s heels and disrupting the opposition’s rhythm to good effect. Who will come out on top?
THE RIGHT BALANCE ON THE LEFT
Ashique Kuruniyan has great attacking instincts for a left-back, which is unsurprising for a player who started his career as winger. On Tuesday, he will have to find the right balance between his defensive duties and attacking forays as he will be up against Ninthoinganba Meetei - an old school winger who loves to hug the wide line, dragging full-backs out of position before finding space behind them.
DEFENSIVE RESOLVE
The Blues’ defence will be up against the League’s best attack tonight. The Highlanders have found the back of the net in every game so far while the Blues come into the game on the back of two clean sheets. If Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is to register another clean sheet, the NorthEast attack has to be stopped in its tracks for the first time this season.
