It has been a whirlwind last few days for Delhi Dynamos starlet Lallianzuala Chhangte who has just returned to India following his brief trial with Norwegian club Viking FK.
The Mizoram-born attacker expressed his delight at being given the opportunity by the Norwegian club as he looked back on his short-stay in Europe.
“Yeah,I think it was a great stay even though it was for a very short period of time. The people are very friendly, even the players and coaches. They do not shout when you make a mistake, they really encourage you. They play good football, fast football and they are technically very good. It was very exciting for me to play with them and have the opportunity to train with them,” Chhangte stated.
Going into further detail about the short trial, Chhangte said, “By the time I reached there, they had a match coming up on Wednesday. So, I trained on Monday and Tuesday, we had one session per day. It was not too long.”
“It was a light session with a lot of warming-up since it was very cold there. Then we had a small game. We worked on my shooting, finishing and crossing. It was an exciting training session and I loved the tempo.
“I think they combine both fitness and technique. Out there, it is very physical. Even though it was physical, it was a very fast game. So, it’s a complete combination of fitness and technique. Their technique is very good though like their first touch. I realised the importance of having a good first touch over there.”
While the initial buzz was that Chhangte’s trial would be at least a week long, it ultimately ended up as a two-day stint with the Norwegian club. Chhangte, though, is not disappointed by the short duration.
“Yes, I went there on Friday actually. I did not know the weekend is an off over there. Even though it was a very short period of time, I had very good sessions with them. Not only on the pitch, but even in the dressing room. They had my name in the dressing room which shows their professionalism,” he explained.
“I think that the way they do things is very professional. The reception was very amazing. They had my name in the dressing room too for just a two-day training and that shows they are very professional. Even the people, the players, they are very friendly and more straightforward,” the Dynamos man continued.
ISL
Having had a taste of the action in Norway, Chhangte is confident that he has the capabilities of playing in a top-flight league in Europe in the future and is optimistic about his chances of getting another call from Viking FK.
“I think I am getting used to it with time. They have much better quality of course compared to Indians. But I think I can fit in if I work a little harder and understand their game, how they train and play,” he said.
“Of course, I am looking forward to that (another call from Viking FK). If they call again, I would love to have a bigger training stint with them in the future,” he added.
Delhi Dynamos coach Josep Gombau too expressed his satisfaction with the opportunity given to Chhangte despite the call for the trial coming during the side’s ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) campaign.
“Look this is something that I cannot control. Club got an offer for a trial for Chhangte and we did not want to stop him from getting the chance. It was the right thing to do since we had a gap between games. For sure he needs to attend two or three training sessions with us before our game. I think we were very co-operative with him to allow him to go, many clubs would have refused. At least he had the experience, he experienced something different. Now people from Viking know him,” the Spaniard stated.
“My advice to Chhangte is that we have three more games to go in the league plus the Super Cup. He needs to concentrate on his football here at this club and try to do his best. If he keeps performing, he will have more chances to go to Europe. He is a young player with good quality but also needs to learn a lot because his age is very young. I am very happy to work with him and he is a very hard-worker. I think he has a very good future,” the Delhi coach added.
Chhangte and Delhi Dynamos will now turn their attentions towards the ISL clash against Bengaluru FC which takes place on Sunday.
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