Nadkarni Cup 2005 Review
(as told to IndianFootball.com Editor Sujay Sharma)

The Nadkarni Cup is the first tournament to be played in Bombay this year. Its regular staging is a boost for Mumbai football. It was played as the season opener, and it allowed teams to know their strengths, who's good and who's not. It also allowed the several youngsters to prove their worth in the teams.
The quality of football was high, and most of the top teams participated. Everybody wants to win the coveted Harwood League, or finish among the top three or four so as to qualify for the NFL 2 Division.
Even the two Super Division teams, Rizvi Muslims and Akbar Travels, gave a good performance, and they played a lot of youngsters. That shows the depth in Mumbai football.
The quality of football on show at this years' Nadkarni Cup tournament was very high. For the newly promoted teams to the Elite Division had to show to not only the spectators, but also the Committee members, that they deserved a place in the Elite league. So there was a high intensity of football on show of course.
There weren't any absolute star-players. All the teams displayed good teamwork, discipline, off-ball movement. The ground-conditions due to the weather did play a hamper unfortunately, and really tested the fitness levels, especially of the younger players. It was a drying ground, and that made it a bit difficult. Lot's of ups and downs were there on the field. It was good that the goalkeepers' area didn't get too bad, else things could have got bad during the match. Credit must go to the ground-staff for all their effort, despite all the rain.

The various matches:
Pre-Quarterfinals:
Western Railways had themselves to blame for their loss to Akbar Travels. They had enough chances, but failed to convert. Plus it was their first match on this ground.
The young Rizvi Muslims side found the ground too heavy in their match against RCF. On a dry ground, they would have given any team a tough fight. They have good and upcoming19, 20, 21 year old players.
My Golden Gunners players adapted well to the conditions, in their match against Bank of India (BOI). BOI did not. We had a good mix of experience and youth. Plus we were well supported by the crowd too.
The Mumbai Customs versus Maharashtra State Police (MSP) was a close match, and it all boiled down to who took their chance. And MSP took theirs at the end.

Quarterfinals:
Mahindra United's victory over RCF was a completely one-sided game. One expected a tougher fight from RCF, who are an Elite Division team, and did well last year. But United played really well on a very slushy field. RCF were very poor in that match.
Indian Navy played well against Akbar Travels, and should have won. But it's a lottery when it goes to penalties. However it was good that a Super Division team managed to reach the semi-finals. Indian Navy were asked to play just a few days after they arrived. Even though they are a very fit side and train twice a day, their poor finishing and rustiness cost them dear.
Unfortunately I was unable to be present on the bench for the Golden Gunners versus Air India match due to a personal bereavement. From what I heard, my boys played very well. Afterwards, Mr. Bimal Ghosh complimented our manager on our boys' performance. As it was, we only lost on penalties, which is a lottery.
Central Railways were disappointing. They were not used to the ground conditions, while MSP were.

Semifinals:
Akbar Travels lost the match against United in the dressing room. They were pretty hopeless, and gave up before the match started. By the way they walked from the dressing room to the bench, you could make out. The management needed to plan and prepare the players better. Their players seemed happy to be there. Their half-backs didn't close down the United wingers, and the overall marking was poor. Yadav took his opportunities well. That's what he does - waits for the right time, and takes the chance - those are his two main gifts.
MSP played really well against Air-India. They were looking better after they had equalised. But that is football for you. MSP were unable to score the second, and Air-India scored the late winner. MSP have improved in their philosophy. They are listening to their coach more and more, and so are improving. They are no longer that physical and a "bullying" side. They've realized that football is a team game, and are now playing as a team.

Final:
In terms of actual football, it was a relatively disappointing final. However, it was a beautiful finish by Yadav for the goal. It was a rough and tough match. Tactics were crucial. And United in the first half showed that they had the right tactics. However, after Jamil's sending off, it went all wrong for United.

Some interesting prospects and impressive players of the tournament:
Rizvi Mumbai Muslims: Francisco Salin (Mid)
RCF: Shayresh Bawkar (Mid)
Bank of India: Sanjeev Verma (GK), Shankar Thakur (Mid)
Golden Gunners: Manoj Adhikari (Def), Anthony Fernandes (Def), Souvaid Ansari (Mid), Soccor Velho (For), Reuben D'Souza (For), Karim Shaikh (For), Nagesh Swami (Mid)
Mumbai Customs: Rajesh Bangera (GK), Jinto Jose (Mid), Hekmat Singh (Mid), Jitin Sahi (Mid)
Maharashtra State Police: Sailesh Naik (GK), Utpal Kadam (Def), Parag Sawant (Mid), Uday Badkar (For), Sandeep Badkar (For)
Western Railway: Jayesh Martin (Def), Inam-ul-Haque (Mid), Anil Pawar (Mid), PV Vinoy (For), Subash Adilkar
Akbar Travels: Rajith Kumar (GK), Vijesh Mon (Def), Nizam Meledath (Def), Pradeep Kumar (Mid), Dhanraj Sumesh (For), Sharaffi Kaliyattil (For)
Air India: Raju Ekka (GK), Paresh Shivalkar (Mid), Noel Fernandes (Mid), Narendra Meetei (For), Vijith Shetty (Mid), Lawrence Dias (For), Neil Gaikwad (For)
Central Railway: Raghuvir Khanolkar (GK), Prabash Janardhan (Def), DP Singh (Mid), Kasif Jamal (For), Aziz Quereshi (For)
Mahindra United: Sandip Nandy (GK), Rauf Khan (Def), Mahesh Gawli (Def), Othallo Tabia (Def), K Ajayan (Mid), Steven Dias (Mid), Abhishek Yadav (For), S Venkatesh (Mid), Keegan Pereira (Mid)

The Final and Finalists:
There was a fantastic crowd for the final. They came to see good football, upcoming players, and good goals, especially from United. There was also a good crowd for the Golden Gunners - Air-India game. The public wants to see good football, and would have come in large numbers no matter who reached the final.
Every year for the last few years, Mahindra United and Air-India have been the big rival teams in Mumbai. Central Railways, BMFC, and the other teams in the Elite Division are not behind the big two by much. As we saw, all teams gave it their all, and Air-India had it very difficult reaching the final.
On Mahindra's timing of their new coach's announcement just before the Nadkarni Cup match, it can't be considered too late. The management probably had their reasons - trying to rope in a foreigner, negotiations with Derrick, etc.
Though United did have an easy path to the final. But it didn't matter, as they lost it. As stated, Jamil's sending off was the turning point. Steven could have won it had he taken his chance in the second period. After the sending-off, Air-India had seven consecutive corners, and quick chances one after the other. Following this, the United defenders made one mistake, and that was enough for Air-India to equalize. I thought United had it in them to have won it. But then it went to penalties. Even though Nandy saved two spot-kicks, United still missed enough of theirs' to lose.
Air-India were impressive when it mattered. The crowd was backing both teams, but of course Air-India were slightly better supported. After they qualified for the NFL, they kept the successful teams' nucleus of players. So they had the benefit of continuity for this years' start. They showed good hard work and fitness, and so were able to change their games course late on, on a tiring field, although both Air-India and United were equally determined in their effort to win.
On Air-India having such a tough fight in their semi-final and quarter-final matches, credit should go to their opponents and the coaches. Both MSP and Gunners planned and played well. Sometimes it just happens that the "lesser" teams give it their all.
This loss of United in the final, and the tough matches Air-India got in their earlier matches, will give the "smaller" teams a chance and belief that they can beat United and Air-India. These other teams will give it their all to qualify for the NFL 2.
In conclusion, I'd like to mention that Mumbai football is on the up. The earlier Dr.Nitu Mandke Memorial Zonal tournament had proved that there is a lot of talent, and young talent at that, in Mumbai football. And now the successful Nadkarni Cup has added weight to that.