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I-League Special: Best Midfielder Of The Season: Foreign & Indian
The best medios...
31-May-2010 3:05:00 AM
By Amoy Ghoshal
Nominating contenders for the best midfielder of the season was never easy as we saw impressive performances from both foreigners and Indian players in that department.
Of course some of the more experienced outstation players were technically superior but in this season's I-League some of the Indian medios were also not far behind in that department.
Most of the teams preferred to have at least one foreigner in central midfield because of their physical strength and technique. However some clubs like Mahindra, Chirag (first half of the season), Salgaocar (second half of the season) managed to do well despite playing Indians in that position.
There obviously have been more opportunities for Indian players on the wings and some youngsters have really caught the eye while few of the experienced players in that position have also done well.
The one area where Indian midfielders were lagging behind their foreign counter parts in this season also was scoring goals. Once again we saw a lot more quality in the finishing of the foreign medios.
Here we list the nominations for the best midfielder category both among foreign and Indian players along with the winner in each category.
Foreign Nominations:
Beto (Dempo): The Brazilian playmaker started the season with consecutive man of the match performances and looked in red hot form as he was both scoring and creating goals at will. In the end he ended with eight league goals and numerous assists. But its not the statistics which separates Beto from other creative midfielders in the I-League. The technical superiority and class which he exhibits is a joy to watch for fans and a nightmare for opposing teams as they often have no answer to it. His ability to come up with crucial goals just added an extra dimension to his game and was instrumental in Dempo’s title triumph.
Ogba Kalu Nnanna (Churchill Brothers): If you were ever looking for a complete midfielder in the I-League, Obga Kalu is your answer. The Nigerian had a fantastic season from midfield as he played his part in both defending and attacking. Many times this season in the absence of Odafa, Kalu has led Churchill from the front and came up with match winning performances in each and every competition. He was also one of the high scoring midfielders of the I-League with seven goals to his name.
Penn Orji (JCT): JCT played with just one foreigner for much of the first half of the season and what a big difference he made. Penn was JCT’s driving force which started to be evident once Baljit Sahni got injured as at that time, the Nigerian also had to take the burden of finding the back of the net. His ability to build up play from midfield was at times second to none. But he also took responsibility and often would do his best to help out the back four. He truly showcased all attributes of a complete midfielder.
Douhou Pierre (Pune FC): The Ivorian showed glimpses of his talent while playing for Mahindra for two seasons but it is at Pune where he has well and truly announced his arrival in Indian football. Douhou provided numerous assists and scored vital goals for his side. He was not only consistent in the I-League but was also one of the best players of the tournament in the Federation Cup. Pune relied heavily on him and he was thus indispensable to Derrick Pereira's plans.
Izumi Arata (Pune FC): Arata has been playing in India since 2007 but this was by far his best season. Playing on the left wing, the Japanse born PIO tormented opposition defences with his pace and trickery. But more importantly he regularly got on the scoresheet and finished as the highest scorer among midfielders with ten goals to his name. He was an important match winner for Pune and also a fan favourite.
Our Vote:
Ogba Kalu Nnanna- The Churchill man gets our vote because of his all round contribution. Kalu was impressive last season but this term he just took his game to a new level as he hardly showed any weaknesses. He was able to build up moves, score and create goals, help out the back four but more importantly he often drove his side single handedly, as Odafa missed many matches and wasn’t at his best, on a regular basis. His consistency was second to none and his leadership qualities jus added an extra dimension to his game this season.
Indian Nominations
MP Sakeer (Viva Kerala): Despite being only 23, Sakeer played like a true leader for Viva and that too in his very first I-League campaign. Known for his good range of passing and vision, Sakeer has the potential to be one of the best playmakers of the country. And this season he has shown glimpses of his talent by bagging a number of assists and also playing a crucial role in many other goals. Sakeer also got on the scoresheet thrice and was easily the best young Indian playmaker in the 09-10 I-League.
Sushant Matthew (Mahindra United): The Kerala born player is probably one of the most underrated players in the country as despite his consistency and versatility, he doesn’t find a place in the national team. This season he was outstanding from the middle of the park for Mahindra as he often single handedly dominated the midfield battle. Matthew doesn’t score too many goals but he assists quite a few and plays his role in the build up of many goals too. He is one of the few all action midfielders in the country as his tackling and work rate is up there with the very best foreign medios.
Francis Fernandes (Salgaocar): The 24 year old winger wasn’t a regular under American coach Tim Hankinson but was an important member in Karim Bencherifa’s Salgaocar. He made some vital contributions for the Goan side in the second half of the season as he created a number of goals and worked his heart out on the right flank. Francis wasn’t the most fashionable wingers in the league but certainly was very effective and we could see and hear a lot more about him next term.
Anthony Pereira (Dempo): If you were ever looking for an Indian player who hardly has an off day, Anthony Pereira is your answer. In almost every match the Indian international would either play one killer ball or put in one super cross that would be decisive. He would have probably like to score a few more goals but the number of assists he ends up with is quite remarkable and his workrate is also praiseworthy. Anothny has once again had a very consistent campaign.
Mehtab Hussain (East Bengal): East Bengal had a terrible I-League campaign but midfielder Mehtab Hussain didn’t do much wrong. The 24 year old is considered to be one of the most reliable midfield players in the country and for the red and gold brigade this term, he was easily their most consistent Indian. He often fought alone in midfield as he lacked support from the rest of the teammates but he never complained and always made it difficult for the opponents. He also assisted in a few goals and bagged a couple of goals which did make a big difference in East Bengal’s final points tally.
Our Vote:
Sushant Matthew – The 27 year old is our choice for his consistency over the course of the season. Sushant hardly had a bad game for Mahindra and was instrumental in their title challenge, which faded in the last few rounds. He is one of the fittest Indian players you can think of and that showed as he never looked out of shape despite having a long season. It’s a pity that he will not be appearing for Mahindra ever again but he is expected to join East Bengal, which is great news for Kolkata football as one of the best midfielders in the country could be playing regularly there.
Who do you think was the best foreign and Indian midfielder in the I-League this season? Let us know in the comments box below!
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!
Of course some of the more experienced outstation players were technically superior but in this season's I-League some of the Indian medios were also not far behind in that department.
Most of the teams preferred to have at least one foreigner in central midfield because of their physical strength and technique. However some clubs like Mahindra, Chirag (first half of the season), Salgaocar (second half of the season) managed to do well despite playing Indians in that position.
There obviously have been more opportunities for Indian players on the wings and some youngsters have really caught the eye while few of the experienced players in that position have also done well.
The one area where Indian midfielders were lagging behind their foreign counter parts in this season also was scoring goals. Once again we saw a lot more quality in the finishing of the foreign medios.
Here we list the nominations for the best midfielder category both among foreign and Indian players along with the winner in each category.
Foreign Nominations:
Beto (Dempo): The Brazilian playmaker started the season with consecutive man of the match performances and looked in red hot form as he was both scoring and creating goals at will. In the end he ended with eight league goals and numerous assists. But its not the statistics which separates Beto from other creative midfielders in the I-League. The technical superiority and class which he exhibits is a joy to watch for fans and a nightmare for opposing teams as they often have no answer to it. His ability to come up with crucial goals just added an extra dimension to his game and was instrumental in Dempo’s title triumph.
Ogba Kalu Nnanna (Churchill Brothers): If you were ever looking for a complete midfielder in the I-League, Obga Kalu is your answer. The Nigerian had a fantastic season from midfield as he played his part in both defending and attacking. Many times this season in the absence of Odafa, Kalu has led Churchill from the front and came up with match winning performances in each and every competition. He was also one of the high scoring midfielders of the I-League with seven goals to his name.
Penn Orji (JCT): JCT played with just one foreigner for much of the first half of the season and what a big difference he made. Penn was JCT’s driving force which started to be evident once Baljit Sahni got injured as at that time, the Nigerian also had to take the burden of finding the back of the net. His ability to build up play from midfield was at times second to none. But he also took responsibility and often would do his best to help out the back four. He truly showcased all attributes of a complete midfielder.
Douhou Pierre (Pune FC): The Ivorian showed glimpses of his talent while playing for Mahindra for two seasons but it is at Pune where he has well and truly announced his arrival in Indian football. Douhou provided numerous assists and scored vital goals for his side. He was not only consistent in the I-League but was also one of the best players of the tournament in the Federation Cup. Pune relied heavily on him and he was thus indispensable to Derrick Pereira's plans.
Izumi Arata (Pune FC): Arata has been playing in India since 2007 but this was by far his best season. Playing on the left wing, the Japanse born PIO tormented opposition defences with his pace and trickery. But more importantly he regularly got on the scoresheet and finished as the highest scorer among midfielders with ten goals to his name. He was an important match winner for Pune and also a fan favourite.
Our Vote:
Ogba Kalu Nnanna- The Churchill man gets our vote because of his all round contribution. Kalu was impressive last season but this term he just took his game to a new level as he hardly showed any weaknesses. He was able to build up moves, score and create goals, help out the back four but more importantly he often drove his side single handedly, as Odafa missed many matches and wasn’t at his best, on a regular basis. His consistency was second to none and his leadership qualities jus added an extra dimension to his game this season.
Indian Nominations
MP Sakeer (Viva Kerala): Despite being only 23, Sakeer played like a true leader for Viva and that too in his very first I-League campaign. Known for his good range of passing and vision, Sakeer has the potential to be one of the best playmakers of the country. And this season he has shown glimpses of his talent by bagging a number of assists and also playing a crucial role in many other goals. Sakeer also got on the scoresheet thrice and was easily the best young Indian playmaker in the 09-10 I-League.
Sushant Matthew (Mahindra United): The Kerala born player is probably one of the most underrated players in the country as despite his consistency and versatility, he doesn’t find a place in the national team. This season he was outstanding from the middle of the park for Mahindra as he often single handedly dominated the midfield battle. Matthew doesn’t score too many goals but he assists quite a few and plays his role in the build up of many goals too. He is one of the few all action midfielders in the country as his tackling and work rate is up there with the very best foreign medios.
Francis Fernandes (Salgaocar): The 24 year old winger wasn’t a regular under American coach Tim Hankinson but was an important member in Karim Bencherifa’s Salgaocar. He made some vital contributions for the Goan side in the second half of the season as he created a number of goals and worked his heart out on the right flank. Francis wasn’t the most fashionable wingers in the league but certainly was very effective and we could see and hear a lot more about him next term.
Anthony Pereira (Dempo): If you were ever looking for an Indian player who hardly has an off day, Anthony Pereira is your answer. In almost every match the Indian international would either play one killer ball or put in one super cross that would be decisive. He would have probably like to score a few more goals but the number of assists he ends up with is quite remarkable and his workrate is also praiseworthy. Anothny has once again had a very consistent campaign.
Mehtab Hussain (East Bengal): East Bengal had a terrible I-League campaign but midfielder Mehtab Hussain didn’t do much wrong. The 24 year old is considered to be one of the most reliable midfield players in the country and for the red and gold brigade this term, he was easily their most consistent Indian. He often fought alone in midfield as he lacked support from the rest of the teammates but he never complained and always made it difficult for the opponents. He also assisted in a few goals and bagged a couple of goals which did make a big difference in East Bengal’s final points tally.
Our Vote:
Sushant Matthew – The 27 year old is our choice for his consistency over the course of the season. Sushant hardly had a bad game for Mahindra and was instrumental in their title challenge, which faded in the last few rounds. He is one of the fittest Indian players you can think of and that showed as he never looked out of shape despite having a long season. It’s a pity that he will not be appearing for Mahindra ever again but he is expected to join East Bengal, which is great news for Kolkata football as one of the best midfielders in the country could be playing regularly there.
Who do you think was the best foreign and Indian midfielder in the I-League this season? Let us know in the comments box below!
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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