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Lessons to learn from big boys

Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury

Learning it While the Euro-2008 is a riveting affair the domestic scenario is bleak

The Euro 2008 football championship may have a lesson or two for football administrators and players in India, feels Victor Amalraj, former international player, who has led the Indian squad on several occasions.

During the recent SAFF Cup tournament, the Indian team was not at its best as several key players, including Steven Dias and Rennedy Singh, were on the injured list. Besides, other important members of the side were past their best. Bhaichung Bhutia, India's most accomplished player in recent times, is now at the fag end of his career and is not the force that he used to be a few years ago.

"But we have seen that in the Euro tournament, many new players have come up. As old stars fade away, they are quickly replaced by new faces, who are as talented and skilful as the stars they are replacing," says Amalraj. "That not only shows the depth of talent that these countries have, but also their efficiency in unearthing and developing that talent. There is certainly a lesson here for India."

"Take Spain's David Villa, for example. He is an excellent addition to the side. He scored his first hattrick for Valencia against Athletic Bilbao in just over five minutes. It was one of the quickest hat-tricks ever recorded. In his first match in the Euro, he scored a hat-trick against Russia.

Another player who impressed me was Deco of Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world now. Russia's Andrei Arshavin is also a very talented young player. He has the ability to scatter the rival defence with just a few twists and turns. He has played a key role in Russia's qualification. Germany's Lukas Podolski, who is Polish by birth, has earned a name for himself for while playing for Germany. He emerged as one of Germany's leading scorers to match established stars like Ballack."

"One of the reasons why the big teams like France and England (which did not even qualify) have failed to do well is because they depended too heavily on old stars. The big teams must introduce new blood as early as possible. Football is a very physical game and a player has to be extremely fit."

"Among the coaches, I feel Guus Hiddink was exceptional. He used to manage the star-studded PSV Eindhoven earlier and has coached Netherlands, South Korea, and Australia with outstanding results. The way he has inspired Russia in the Euro was a deed which many coaches will set as a benchmark."

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