Sporting Clube seek recipe for success

Monday, 28. September 2009 - Kanzil Rodrigues (GA)

Sporting Clube de Goa, popularly known as the ‘Flaming Oranje’, came agonisingly close to winning their first I-League title last season, making it their second best achievement after finishing runners-up in the 2004-2005 national league.

It could have been a different story to their 08-09 campaign if they had not dropped guard in the last few rounds, and that too against bottom ranked teams. This year they have taken on board Roy Barreto, a Portuguese coach of Indian origin, and hope he can guide this talented bunch of long-serving local players to achieve the desired results – that of winning the I-League.

Strengths

The core playing team has been retained by the management. Successful players like Joseph Pereira, Elijah Junior, Bibiano Fernandes, the Gomes brothers Wilton and Philip, Bisheshwor Singh and the long-serving consistent keepers in Luis Barreto and Felix D’Souza are going to continue their quest for success. The current squad has a good blend of youth and experience, with many talented Goa youngsters also being given a chance to show their wares at the top level. The team has an ability to raise their game against quality opponents. It also boasts a mean defence, organised into a solid unit by the new coach, and is backed up by experienced and confident goalkeepers. Their strength in depth in terms of local players also presents good bench strength when compared to many of their opponents.

Weakness

Since the departure of the magical strike duo of Dudu Omagbemi and Edeh Chidi, Sporting Clube’s major worry has been finding some one to score on a regular basis. Instead, they had to depend on luck as they scraped to lone goal victories more often than not. Such luck can’t be relied upon for the duration and extent of an entire season and goal scoring responsibilities need to be shouldered by players apart from Elijah and Jo Pereira. That is the reason why the likes of Michael Tayo and Nicholas Rodrigues have been brought in. These new players now need to gel into a unit to get the desired results.

Coach’s view

Roy Barreto had been one of the applicants for the India coach’s position when Bob Houghton was chosen. The coach, whose parents are from Goa, had guided premier South African clubs like Orlando Pirates and Manning Rangers to glory. He had also been the Zimbabwe coach but left the job after speaking out against the regime of President Robert Mugabe. Known for his deep rooted commitment and hard work, Barreto has what it takes to guide Sporting Clube to the top. The coach wants the team not to worry about the results but give of their best.
“I believe in my team. We have a good side that can do better than others. I only want them to give 100 per cent on any given day, and then I am sure the results will follow,” said Barreto, who had a short stint at Mohun Bagan academy as well.

Captain speak

After an aborted attempt at establishing himself in Kolkata, Bibiano went off the boil for a while. He was no longer the player he was used to be. But under Barreto, the midfielder seems to have regained that urge to prove his detractors wrong. He has worked on his fitness and is looking lot more dangerous on the go. He has seen Sporting Clube come close twice and so, rather than talk about winning the league, is looking to take one match at a time. 
“Though wining the league would be a difficult task, we will take one match at a time and would go in for the kill whenever we get the opportunity,” said the soft spoken Bibiano.

Key players

Elijah Junior, Bibiano Fernandes, Michael Tayo, Jo Pereira, Wilton Gomes.