Augusto Rodrigues
VASCO
The turf at Tilak Maidan, Vasco got the first feel of the feet and brains of FC Goa players who are eying the Indian Super League (ISL) crown this season. Except for coach Zico - who is in Zurich attending some private business - FC Goa were in full force with captain Lucio leading the boys at their first training session on home turf following their two-week sojourn in Dubai.
Training started at 8.30 am and finished at 10.05 am. During the one-and-half hour spent on the ground, two players stood out as Lucio, despite his age still showed that he possessed the demeanour of a champion, and goalkeeper Elinton Andrade also from Brazil stood out. The defence envisaged by Zico is set to leave the rest of the team with the job of living up to the fans' demands, who want to see more goals from their favourite players.
Thirty-seven-year old Lucio beats his age on the field. Still athletic and strong, Lucio displayed in the one hour thirty five odd minutes of training that he still understands the psychological nuances of getting all to play together. During training, he was at the right place, at the right time for the ball. He demonstrated, when to use his left or right leg; he made receiving the ball look simple and on one occasion let go a shot that differentiates a genius from a mere mortal.
Thirty-six-year-old goalkeeper Elinton Andrade showed in his training, along with Laxmikant Kattimani and Luis Barreto, that age is not a deterrent for quick reflexes and anticipation of the flight of the ball. Elinton is agile, very good at the traditional style of goalkeeping and uses the unconventional methods of stopping the ball when needed. Instead of shying, he throws himself.
You need eleven players for a victory clap in football. Lucio and Elinton may well be the base of this clap. The rest can translate Zico’s offensive lines into reality by meandering through with a samba and bharatnatyam fusion.
Four Brazilians oversaw the training which started with warm up exercises. The players were then divided into groups of thirteen and put through routines supervised by Zico’s back-up staff. Since most spoke Portuguese, a translator was at hand. The players were then split into pairs for the last part of exercises that lasted roughly for around 40 minutes.
Ball possession, endurance and mental cohesiveness formed the remaining part of training that spread for almost an hour. The 5 versus 5 system was employed in this session.
Last year’s pick, Mandar Rao Desai and Laxmikant Kattimani stood out amongst the rest of the Indian players in training. From the manner training was crystallising, a picture began to emerge on why football is not only about skill. Like in life, thinking helps let the ball flow flawlessly.
None of the Goan boys in FC Goa set up brought attention to themselves. Perhaps, it is too early.With less than a fortnight for the first game, it's time the boys learn to knot their professional laces.
