JOEL ANDRADE
PANAJI
Portuguese third division side GDSC Alvarenga has completed the signing of Goan midfield maestro Sahil Tavora for the 17/18 season. After playing the entire 90 minutes in his debut game against JD Carregosense on September 23, the Goan superstar spoke exclusively to The Goan Everyday.
Sahil, who played in the Indian Super League with FC Goa and Mumbai City FC in the 16/17 and 17/18 season respectively, made his decision to shift base to a European club when a call came by as it was always his dream ever since he started playing football at the age of nine.
“Ever since I started playing football at the age of nine, it has always been my goal to play in Europe. So when this offer came in, I thought that with two ISL seasons under my belt and still only 22 years old, it was the right time to move. Ultimately, I would like to play in the top division in Europe and I’m well aware of the hard work I have to put in,” Sahil, who played for Dempo SC in the 14/15 and 15/16 season, said.
Having worked with the likes of Zico at FC Goa and Alexandre Guimarães at Mumbai City FC, Sahil has found it easy to adapt to Alvarenga’s style of play under the tutelage of Pedro Costa as the training sessions are very similar.
“I’ve been very fortunate to train under two very experienced coaches of high quality in the ISL, that has helped me develop as a player. With Pedro, the training sessions are very similar -- high intensity, physical and tactical,” Sahil, who began his career at Sesa FA in the 13/14 season, said.
“I’ve been here only for a couple of weeks and I think it will take some time to get to know the players better. That being said, I feel very comfortable and I’m just working on doing what the coach wants from me,” Sahil went on to say.
With Alvarenga having 34 games in the league besides a knock-out competition, Sahil wants to clock as many minutes as possible in Portugal.
“One of the major reasons I decided to come here was because at my age, it’s important that I play a lot of games and clock as many game minutes as possible. I played seven games for FC Goa in the 16/17 season and then built on that by playing 10 games last season with Mumbai City FC. The season here goes on till May with 34 league games along with a knock-out cup competition. So it’s important for me to work hard every week to make sure I’m in the starting XI for every game.”
Though primarily a central midfielder, Sahil’s versatile abilities are already helping him gain an edge over his peers in his fight to be in the first XI at his new club.
“My natural position is in the central midfield (in a box to box role), but I can play anywhere across the midfield, which I have played for both FC Goa and Mumbai City FC. I played many minutes last season for Mumbai at left wing back, and while it was a new position for me, it taught me a lot tactically and defensively and helped my all round development as a player. That versatility is already paying off for me at Alvarenga as it helps when a coach can trust you to do a job in a number of positions,” Sahil asserted.
While Sahil is fully focused on making a good impression and putting in good consistent performances for his new club, he admits of his intentions of coming back to the ISL in a few years time. “Yes, it’s something that’s on the cards in the future. It’s a great league with a lot of top quality players and coaches and I really enjoyed every moment with FC Goa and Mumbai City FC, but at the time, I’m fully focused on making a good impression here,” Sahil said in conclusion.
