RSS
ATOM
advertisement
I-League: The Best New Players On The Block
Like every season, this time also there have been several new names in the I-League who have performed very well. As the league takes a break after eight rounds due to the two national camps, Goal.com looks at some of the best players in that category....
22-Nov-2009 11:28:32 PM
The players are not in any particular order
Manish Maithani (Mohun Bagan)
The youngster from Dehradoon has been one of the best young Indian players this season. He wasn’t a regular at the start of the season but after coming on late and scoring against Viva Kerala, Maithani started in the big Kolkata derby against East Bengal and scored in that game also. Since then the avid book reader hasn’t looked back as he has established himself as a regular in Karim Bencherifa’s starting lineup and formed a very solid partnership with the experienced Marcos Pereira in central midfield. His performances has earned him a call up to the Under-23 squad for December’s SAFF Cup.
M.P. Sakeer (Viva Kerala)
The Viva Kerala skipper has easily been their best player so far. He is the playmaker of Viva and is known for his precision passing from midfield. The four points which the club from Kerala has earned so far this season, should be largely attributed to the good form of Sakeer. Even in games which Viva lost, Sakeer has looked in fine touch and has easily been his team’s one standout performer. With this being his first season in the top flight, surely there is more to come from this former India Under-19 international.
Safar Sardar (Chirag United)
Safar Sardar has had an outstanding first season in the I-League. He impressed in the Kolkata League and second division for George Telegraph and for Bengal in the Santosh Trophy last season. As a result Chirag resigned him and that decision proved to be the correct one because Safar has been one of the most consistent Indian defenders this term. He has formed a very good partnership with the experienced Du at the heart of the Chirag defence and to add to that, his versatility makes him an even better player as he is well capable of playing as a wingback.
Kali Alaudeen (Mahindra United)
Kali is another player who caught the eye in the 2009 Santosh Trophy, when he excelled while playing for Tamil Nadu. This season in the league he has done very well in central defence alongside Ravanan and established himself as a regular in the Mahindra first team. He has kept Senegalese defender Lamine Tamba out of the startng eleven.
Henry Gangte (Air India)
The young midfielder has often single-handedly ran Air India’s midfield with his good passing and dribbling abilities. He hardly got a chance at Mohun Bagan last season but has turned out to be one of the most important players for the Airmen. He has all the makings of a very good midfielder and in Bimal Ghosh he couldn’t have found a better mentor. It’s unfortunate that his club are struggling in the table but there is no doubt that we will see more from Gangte individually not only this season but in future campaigns also.
Tyson Caiado (Dempo SC)
In recent seasons, the one real weak link for Dempo has been their goalkeeping department with both Abhijit Mondal and Satish Kumar failing to show consistency over a lengthy period of time. But 21 year old Tyson has shown the potential to be the long term solution for the Goan giants as his performances under the bar so far this season has been impressive. Like any young keeper he is a very good shot stopper and has very good reflexes. Except one mistake against Viva, he has also looked confident while dealing with crosses and overall it can be said that he has had a very creditable season so far.
Seikhohao Tuboi (Shillong Lajong)
Tuboi is easily one of the quickest players in the I-League and as a result very few defenders have had an answer for his pace. His ability to go past players and his high fitness levels makes him a very dangerous player and he is the one, Lajong often play the ball to when they need to get behind the opposition defence. One thing that is lacking from this army man is the finishing as he has only scored one goal so once he works that out, there will be little stopping him.
Darren Caldeira (Mumbai FC)
The young Mumbai born midfielder has impressed this season with his workrate and endeavour from the middle of the park. There are not many big names in the Mumbai FC team, but still it is full of talented players and Caldeira is one of them.
Sangram Mandi (Mohun Bagan)
The youngster has been one of the finds of the season as he has performed very well at both left and center back roles. He is a good reader of the game and has the ability to make inch perfect tackles in difficult situations. In the absence of Deepak Mandal, Mandi did a decent job for the Mariners and even though he struggled in the Kolkata derby and against Mumbai FC, there is no doubt that he is one for the future.
Sunil Kumar (JCT)
Despite being seventh in the I-League table, JCT are statistically the best team defensively, having conceded just seven goals in eight games. One big reason for that has been the form of Sunil Kumar, who has done exceptionally well in his first full season in the top flight. He is a very good all round defender who has done very well even against some of the best strikers of the league.
Anthony Barbosa (Salgaocar SC)
The young Goan has probably been Salgaocar’s best offensive player after Nigerian striker Eneke Ikenwa. His wing play has been very impressive and effective as he has set up quite a few goals for his team this season. Barbosa has the ability to make the accurate final pass, something which is seen in very few Indian midfielders. There is a long way to go this season so the winger will be hoping to take his game to the next level.
Amoy Ghoshal
Manish Maithani (Mohun Bagan)
The youngster from Dehradoon has been one of the best young Indian players this season. He wasn’t a regular at the start of the season but after coming on late and scoring against Viva Kerala, Maithani started in the big Kolkata derby against East Bengal and scored in that game also. Since then the avid book reader hasn’t looked back as he has established himself as a regular in Karim Bencherifa’s starting lineup and formed a very solid partnership with the experienced Marcos Pereira in central midfield. His performances has earned him a call up to the Under-23 squad for December’s SAFF Cup.
M.P. Sakeer (Viva Kerala)
The Viva Kerala skipper has easily been their best player so far. He is the playmaker of Viva and is known for his precision passing from midfield. The four points which the club from Kerala has earned so far this season, should be largely attributed to the good form of Sakeer. Even in games which Viva lost, Sakeer has looked in fine touch and has easily been his team’s one standout performer. With this being his first season in the top flight, surely there is more to come from this former India Under-19 international.
Safar Sardar (Chirag United)
Safar Sardar has had an outstanding first season in the I-League. He impressed in the Kolkata League and second division for George Telegraph and for Bengal in the Santosh Trophy last season. As a result Chirag resigned him and that decision proved to be the correct one because Safar has been one of the most consistent Indian defenders this term. He has formed a very good partnership with the experienced Du at the heart of the Chirag defence and to add to that, his versatility makes him an even better player as he is well capable of playing as a wingback.
Kali Alaudeen (Mahindra United)
Kali is another player who caught the eye in the 2009 Santosh Trophy, when he excelled while playing for Tamil Nadu. This season in the league he has done very well in central defence alongside Ravanan and established himself as a regular in the Mahindra first team. He has kept Senegalese defender Lamine Tamba out of the startng eleven.
Henry Gangte (Air India)
The young midfielder has often single-handedly ran Air India’s midfield with his good passing and dribbling abilities. He hardly got a chance at Mohun Bagan last season but has turned out to be one of the most important players for the Airmen. He has all the makings of a very good midfielder and in Bimal Ghosh he couldn’t have found a better mentor. It’s unfortunate that his club are struggling in the table but there is no doubt that we will see more from Gangte individually not only this season but in future campaigns also.
Tyson Caiado (Dempo SC)
In recent seasons, the one real weak link for Dempo has been their goalkeeping department with both Abhijit Mondal and Satish Kumar failing to show consistency over a lengthy period of time. But 21 year old Tyson has shown the potential to be the long term solution for the Goan giants as his performances under the bar so far this season has been impressive. Like any young keeper he is a very good shot stopper and has very good reflexes. Except one mistake against Viva, he has also looked confident while dealing with crosses and overall it can be said that he has had a very creditable season so far.
Seikhohao Tuboi (Shillong Lajong)
Tuboi is easily one of the quickest players in the I-League and as a result very few defenders have had an answer for his pace. His ability to go past players and his high fitness levels makes him a very dangerous player and he is the one, Lajong often play the ball to when they need to get behind the opposition defence. One thing that is lacking from this army man is the finishing as he has only scored one goal so once he works that out, there will be little stopping him.
Darren Caldeira (Mumbai FC)
The young Mumbai born midfielder has impressed this season with his workrate and endeavour from the middle of the park. There are not many big names in the Mumbai FC team, but still it is full of talented players and Caldeira is one of them.
Sangram Mandi (Mohun Bagan)
The youngster has been one of the finds of the season as he has performed very well at both left and center back roles. He is a good reader of the game and has the ability to make inch perfect tackles in difficult situations. In the absence of Deepak Mandal, Mandi did a decent job for the Mariners and even though he struggled in the Kolkata derby and against Mumbai FC, there is no doubt that he is one for the future.
Sunil Kumar (JCT)
Despite being seventh in the I-League table, JCT are statistically the best team defensively, having conceded just seven goals in eight games. One big reason for that has been the form of Sunil Kumar, who has done exceptionally well in his first full season in the top flight. He is a very good all round defender who has done very well even against some of the best strikers of the league.
Anthony Barbosa (Salgaocar SC)
The young Goan has probably been Salgaocar’s best offensive player after Nigerian striker Eneke Ikenwa. His wing play has been very impressive and effective as he has set up quite a few goals for his team this season. Barbosa has the ability to make the accurate final pass, something which is seen in very few Indian midfielders. There is a long way to go this season so the winger will be hoping to take his game to the next level.
Amoy Ghoshal
Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
5 Comments
Advertisement
Inside Goal.Com
-
Liverpool's Midfield Is Equally At Fault As Their Forward Line
Though the attention tends to lean on their misfiring forwards, Liverpool's midfielders are as much at fault for their team's current position...
-
Media shy, silently arrogant & irrationally stubborn: 5 reasons why Abramovich should not be a cry baby
Calm from the outside, cranky from the inside. Goal.com's Sarthak Dubey gives a few tips to Roman Abramovich on how to handle the club's sensitive confidence levels...
-
Can Luis Suarez repeat Eric Cantona's grand comeback when Liverpool face Manchester United?
The divisive Uruguayan can look to history when he starts against United on Saturday for the first time since receiving an eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra
-
Beware, Inter & Arsenal - Schalke's rise up Deloitte's Money League proves the financial importance of the CL
The Ruhr side's remarkable run in Europe's elite tournament saw their revenue unexpectedly soar last season, but some teams are structured to depend on such results to survive
-
This Week That Year - The Munich Tragedy that shocked the world of football
In yet another edition of This Week That Year, we look into all the historic footballing events in the first full week of February....
Advertisement
Advertisement