Indian National Team Comment: Will The SAFF Championship Victory Help Restore Belief In Savio Medeira’s Credentials?

When Savio Medeira decided to accept the offer to takeover as the head coach of the Indian National Team, the All India Football Federation were effectively offering him a poisoned Chalice.

Having gotten rid of Bob Houghton, and in their usual customary manner failing to tie up a deal with any of the prominent coaches in their wishlist, including Armando Colaco and Karim Bencherifa, the AIFF decided to rope in Savio Medeira, whom they saw as a cheap alternative as well as a steadying hand, to take over the team on a year-long contract.

The former Salgaocar midfielder’s appointment as head coach lead to an incredulous response amongst the fans and Indian football experts, as many of them couldn’t believe that the authorities had decided to hand over the reins of the National team to a coach whose last job as a head coach was 3 years ago, when he got sacked following the relegation of Salgaocar SC.

Medeira Has Been Under Intense Pressure....

So the pressure on Medeira was intense from the very day of his appointment, as he did not only have to deal with the scrutiny the sceptical fans put him under, but the Goan also took over the team at a crucial stage when several senior players of the team like Renedy Singh, Climax Lawrence and the talismanic Baichung Bhutia were approaching the end of their International careers and a major rebuilding job had to be undertaken to revive the team’s flagging FIFA ranking.

The scrutiny got even more intense when the National team got hammered by Zambia 5-0, in his third game in charge, as his methods and tactical ability were questioned. His decision to stick to the veterans of the team instead of giving the younger, upcoming players in the I-League a chance drew further flak from the crowd, who felt he was showing clear favoritism towards a section of the players.

The very idea of India winning the SAFF Championship under the Goan’s tutelage was also questioned.

However, a day after India sealed their sixth SAFF Championship title, a review of the unjustified criticism being directed towards Savio Medeira is needed.

The former midfielder has largely been a victim of his own low profile nature, as fans and experts alike have been baying for a more impressive, possibly foreign candidate to lead the National Team.

Does The Triumph In The SAFF Championship Help Prove His Credentials?....

The team’s performance during the recently concluded tournament though, justifies Medeira’s decision to stick with the tried and tested. With the camp before the Championship being of a very short duration, it would have been unrealistic to expect uncapped players to join the squad and immediately bed into the team and tactics.

In the final, old, experienced pros like Climax Lawrence, Mahesh Gawli and Clifford Miranda showed their worth to the squad, as they didn’t let the pressure of the occasion get to them and eventually helped India to victory. Especially Medeira’s decision to stick with Miranda, who drew much flak for his performances against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in the group stage, proved to be a good one, as the Dempo man steadily improved through the tournament.

All through the tournament while the former Salgaocar coach’s decision were being scrutinized, he stuck to his guns and ultimately brought home the trophy to prove his critics wrong.

So that leads to a question – Will Savio Medeira be given some more time and patience by the fans and authorities alike?

The Goan has shown that he knows what he is doing and can deal with pressure. Having been Bob Houghton’s assistant coach, he also knows the senior players in the squad well and will help bring the maximum mileage out of them and help use their experience to blood in youngsters.

Ofcourse question could be asked about his decision to not give younger players a bigger say but having given Rocus Lamare and Nirmal Chhetri starting berths during the final, while also blooding in players like Jewel Raja, Lalrindika Ralte during the tournament and offering other youngsters like Francis Fernandes a chance during the friendly matches, Medeira has shown that he does have an eye on the future and given more time, would steadily bring these players in while keeping some vital experienced players in the squad.

Hence, while Savio Medeira might not have been the household name that the Indian fans would have preferred, the former Salgaocar player has shown steady improvement during his short rein and understands the Indian players and football structure well. Therefore he should be given a respite from the barrage of criticism leveled on him and handed a fair chance to prove himself as the head coach of India.