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I-League Special: Best Defender Of The Season
The best defender...
30-May-2010 11:42:00 PM
By Amoy Ghoshal
Many of the I-League clubs tend to rely heavily on foreigners to fill their defensive gaps but this season we have seen Indian defenders perform much better than their foreign counterparts.
Pune FC, who had the best defensive record by conceding only 23 goals, had two foreign defenders in their squad but the India defenders were equally impressive.
Mumbai FC, who avoided relegation by just two points, conceded the second least number of goals and that despite having just one foreign defender in the squad, who wasn’t always a regular.
Mahindra and JCT jointly had the third best defensive record and all the good work in the backline was done by Indians.
Mahindra’s Senegalese defender Lamine Tamba didn’t feature regularly whereas JCT didn’t have a single outstation defender.
There were obviously some very good foreign defenders but the fact that so many Indian players did well in that department is very encouraging news for Indian football.
Here we list five nominations for the best defender category and also choose the one who we think was the very best.
Nominations:
Dharmaraj Ravanan (Mahindra United): The Tamil Nadu born defender has probably had his best season in the Indian top flight. He has been very consistent from the heart of the defence and has managed to keep some of the best strikers in the country quiet. Ravanan’s calmness and ability to read the game makes hims a very good defender and he certainly showed all those qualities this season. His central defensive partnership with Kali Alaudeen was probably the best in the league and his fine form finally saw him break into the national setup.
Valeriano Rebello (Dempo): The fullback has been around for quite some in the Indian football circuit, playing a key role in Dempo’s recent domination, but this was by far his best campaign. Unlike many other defenders in their squad, Valeriano stayed injury free and was very consistent week in week out. He was always known for his tough tackling and uncompromising nature, but this term he also improved the attacking side of his game as he assisted in quite a few goals and even got into goalscoring positions in many matches. He was by far the best right wingback in the league.
Kali Alaudeen (Mahindra United): From the very first day of the season, when he marked Churchill skipper Odafa and kept him very quiet, Kali has been as solid as a rock for Mahindra throughout the campaign. Kali, who hails from the same state as Ravanan, was one of the few Indian defenders who could physically match the foreign strikers. His performances must have caught the eye of many I-League clubs but he is on the verge of joining Salgaocar.
Luciano Sabrosa (Salgaocar): The Brazilian had a decent first season with Sporting last term but this time around he was even better. Playing at the heart of an inexperienced Salgaocar defence, Luciano proved to be the perfect leader and thus rightly was given the captaincy. He led by example by being very consistent throughout the season. His ability to dominate some of the best forwards in the aerial battles and anticipation helped Salgaocar maintain a very respectable defensive record despite fighting for survival for much of the season. He was arguably the best foreign central defender.
Sergey Tokov (Pune FC): The left wingback from Uzbekistan played a vital role in Pune’s successful debut season. This was Tokov’s first campaign in the Indian top flight so he did take some time to adapt and even played as a midfielder in the earlier rounds. But once he got used the conditions, Tokov started producing a string of good performances both defensively and offensively. He was probably the most attack minded fullback in the league and thus provided numerous assists. The defensive side of his game also improved as the season progressed.
Our Vote:
Dharmaraj Ravanan – This was a very tough choice but our vote goes to the Mahindra defender, who was part of India’s 2009 SAFF Cup winning squad, for his consistency over the course of the season. Ravanan was ever present for David Booth’s side and played a massive role in keeping such an impressive defensive record. Encouragingly for Indian football fans he is only 22 therefore his best is yet to come.
So do you agree with our choice? Or do you think someone else should be the best defender of the season? Is it someone other than these five? Share your thoughts in the comments box.
Become a fan of Goal.com India's Facebook fan page for all the latest news and insight into everything related to the beautiful game!
Pune FC, who had the best defensive record by conceding only 23 goals, had two foreign defenders in their squad but the India defenders were equally impressive.
Mumbai FC, who avoided relegation by just two points, conceded the second least number of goals and that despite having just one foreign defender in the squad, who wasn’t always a regular.
Mahindra and JCT jointly had the third best defensive record and all the good work in the backline was done by Indians.
Mahindra’s Senegalese defender Lamine Tamba didn’t feature regularly whereas JCT didn’t have a single outstation defender.
There were obviously some very good foreign defenders but the fact that so many Indian players did well in that department is very encouraging news for Indian football.
Here we list five nominations for the best defender category and also choose the one who we think was the very best.
Nominations:
Dharmaraj Ravanan (Mahindra United): The Tamil Nadu born defender has probably had his best season in the Indian top flight. He has been very consistent from the heart of the defence and has managed to keep some of the best strikers in the country quiet. Ravanan’s calmness and ability to read the game makes hims a very good defender and he certainly showed all those qualities this season. His central defensive partnership with Kali Alaudeen was probably the best in the league and his fine form finally saw him break into the national setup.
Valeriano Rebello (Dempo): The fullback has been around for quite some in the Indian football circuit, playing a key role in Dempo’s recent domination, but this was by far his best campaign. Unlike many other defenders in their squad, Valeriano stayed injury free and was very consistent week in week out. He was always known for his tough tackling and uncompromising nature, but this term he also improved the attacking side of his game as he assisted in quite a few goals and even got into goalscoring positions in many matches. He was by far the best right wingback in the league.
Kali Alaudeen (Mahindra United): From the very first day of the season, when he marked Churchill skipper Odafa and kept him very quiet, Kali has been as solid as a rock for Mahindra throughout the campaign. Kali, who hails from the same state as Ravanan, was one of the few Indian defenders who could physically match the foreign strikers. His performances must have caught the eye of many I-League clubs but he is on the verge of joining Salgaocar.
Luciano Sabrosa (Salgaocar): The Brazilian had a decent first season with Sporting last term but this time around he was even better. Playing at the heart of an inexperienced Salgaocar defence, Luciano proved to be the perfect leader and thus rightly was given the captaincy. He led by example by being very consistent throughout the season. His ability to dominate some of the best forwards in the aerial battles and anticipation helped Salgaocar maintain a very respectable defensive record despite fighting for survival for much of the season. He was arguably the best foreign central defender.
Sergey Tokov (Pune FC): The left wingback from Uzbekistan played a vital role in Pune’s successful debut season. This was Tokov’s first campaign in the Indian top flight so he did take some time to adapt and even played as a midfielder in the earlier rounds. But once he got used the conditions, Tokov started producing a string of good performances both defensively and offensively. He was probably the most attack minded fullback in the league and thus provided numerous assists. The defensive side of his game also improved as the season progressed.
Our Vote:
Dharmaraj Ravanan – This was a very tough choice but our vote goes to the Mahindra defender, who was part of India’s 2009 SAFF Cup winning squad, for his consistency over the course of the season. Ravanan was ever present for David Booth’s side and played a massive role in keeping such an impressive defensive record. Encouragingly for Indian football fans he is only 22 therefore his best is yet to come.
So do you agree with our choice? Or do you think someone else should be the best defender of the season? Is it someone other than these five? Share your thoughts in the comments box.
Become a fan of Goal.com India's Facebook fan page for all the latest news and insight into everything related to the beautiful game!
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