| Quarterfinals throw up challenging matches |
KEY MAN: Tamil Nadu’s Kulothungan (right) has been in the thick of things.
Tamil Nadu thus is the odd one out but ironically, among the four teams that came up the rungs, the best one on view till date. Goals have been aplenty from this team, a reward for the concerted efforts and the man who made all this happen is K. Kulothungan, soon to don the Mohun Bagan colours.
Tremendous skill His ball skills and ability to control the midfield have been exceptional. Twice in the matches thus far Kulo showed his brilliant ability to fire headers with the accuracy of a sharp shooter.
Equally admirable has been the way he distributed passes that at once decimated the rival defence even as it prompted the forward line for the ‘kill.’ As Muthu and Riju would vouch they owe much to their skipper for the goals that came their way. Riju in fact leads the scorers table as on date.
Be it in the midfield (where Justus Antony is an able foil) and in defence, filled with I-league players Ravanan, Kali Allaudin, Premkumar and Pradeep, the host has options.
Can this alone ensure adequate insurance in a group which has reigning champion Punjab and 29 times champion Bengal, not to forget the emerging force from North East, Manipur?
Tough group This is a group of imponderables. Consider Manipur, a technically sound squad, a team that counter attacks with panache. The players’ coordination and slick movements make them tricky customers.
In all, Manipur has ten I-League players. Players to watch are right-back Raju Mangang, skipper and central-midfielder Chitrasen Singh, wingers Khenthang Paite and Reisangmi Vasum who all play for Churchill Brothers, centre-back Samananda Singh, midfielder Bisheshwor Singh and striker Joychandra Singh (all Sporting Clube de Goa).
Vasum has already slotted in five goals while another striker Singam Subash Singh, Air India’s top scorer last season has scored four goals, more importantly scored in every match.
Both Punjab and Bengal have come in search of landmarks. Coach Jagir Singh is confident of a good show by Punjab which has a majority of JCT players. A victory here will make it a hat-trick of titles for Punjab besides giving it an overall nine wins.
Jagir specifically mentioned Anwar (captain), Rakesh Masih and Baldeep Singh as the ones to watch. “All teams play to win and we are no different. Lets see what happens,” he said.
Bengal’s last success was here a decade ago. “That must be corrected. We have a strong side and we should do well. But first we have to watch out for Tamil Nadu,” said Raghu Nandy, the Coach while captain Habibur Rehman Mondal, believes it is “the best side in the last four years.”
Experience Services and Goa spearhead the other group, Karnataka and Maharashtra being the other two. Goa’s strength lay in its experienced I-league players.
Players like Mahesh Gawli and Climax Lawrence, both India players have added strength. Goa has moved into this phase without conceding a single goal.
As for Services, the side represents virtually the same bunch which helped the team reach the title round last year after a gap of four decades.
The focus will again be on Raleng, the top scorer at Srinagar. For sheer resilience and ability to play to the situation, former champion Maharashtra has displayed enough already in its key win over Kerala.
Forwards skipper Steven Dias, Paresh Shivalkar, Alex T. Ambrose and the ever-reliable Kuttymani Sampath Kumar, can be an awesome foursome upfront. Coach Arshad Hussain is a firm believer that “the boys can do it on their own.”
Three years ago Maharashtra missed the title, courtesy Goa. There is an opportunity to make amends. Karnataka also has a mix of experienced players and youngsters. There is much focus on 20-year old Sathish, an under-19 India player. Else it is a side with a predominance of HAL players.
The Groups: A: Punjab, Bengal, Manipur and Tamil Nadu; B: Services, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.
Quarterfinal schedule: June 2: Punjab v Manipur (G ‘A’) 4 p.m., West Bengal v Tamil Nadu (G ‘A’) 6.30 p.m.; June 3: Services v Maharashtra (G ‘B’) 4 p.m., Karnataka v Goa (G ‘B’) 6.30 p.m.; June 4: Manipur v West Bengal (G ‘A’) 4 p.m., Tamil Nadu v Punjab (G ‘A’) 6.30 p.m.; June 5: Maharashtra v Karnataka (G ‘B’) 4 p.m., Goa v Services (G ‘B’) 6.30 p.m.; June 6: Manipur v Tamil Nadu (G ‘A’) 4 p.m., Punjab v West Bengal (G ‘A’) 6.30 p.m.; June 7: Maharashtra v Goa (G ’B’) 4 p.m., Karnataka v Services (G ‘B’), 6.30 p.m.
(With inputs from Rayan Rozario (Coimbatore), G. Prasad (Tiruchi) and Karthik Krishnaswamy (Tiruvallur).