Basil Sylvester Pinto
PANAJI
While Zico, the FC Goa Head Coach has made a conscious decision to retain his core squad from last season, if it would backfire is anyone’s guess. With 14 home and away games played thick and fast within a crammed three months ISL calendar, inclusion of several ageing stars may be a high percentage risk for the asking with breakdowns and slower recovery processes more likely.
Let us make a case study here. Victor Simões de Oliveira, a Brazilian striker (35) who began his youth career with the well-known Flamengo side before playing with the same local club at the senior level and thereon moving to playing for various other sides, was announced as part of the FC Goa squad on June 19 last year. Besieged by injury, Victor left the Goan shores October-end without playing a game but with a lot of sight-seeing exposure behind him. This bringing a crying attention, to the fact, he was not only on a vacation here but blocking an opportunity for another foreign striker to fill up a growing lacuna in a strike force who would be potent and injury-free. It is part and parcel that injury does happen in sport. But when ageing players are fielded, a chance of a quicker recovery to match fitness is bleak.
The gaffer’s trust in his boys from Brazil is no hidden truth. That said, it is come to the knowledge of The Goan, that while the big French unit in Gregory Arnolin was the last of the confirmed foreign recruits to join training on September 4, on Monday, while India were in the festive Ganesh Chaturthi spirit, a balding mid-thirties Seleção striker was proving his mettle at Centro de Futebal Zico in Rio de Janeiro. Júlio César da Silva e Souza, as per our reliable source will look to strengthen the FC Goa forward line with his goal-poaching abilities.
The 36-year-old Júlio is understood to have been with Ceará Sporting Club before a call from Zico 10 came his way. A seasoned campaigner, the 5 foot 10 inch Brazilian striker, began his professional career with the local club, Fluminense FC for whom he had eight appearances between 1997-2002 netting three goals. As opportunities were not forthcoming in his native country during his peak years, he decided it was a prudent to seek greener pastures elsewhere. And this move proved productive as for the next decade (2002-11), he played for various clubs across Europe putting in a lot of appearances with a growing reputation as a striker.
Júlio had stints playing in Europe with various clubs like FC Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia, 2002-03), C.F. Estrela da Amadora (Portugal, 2003-04), Gil Vicente F.C. (Portugal, 2004-05), AEK Athens FC (Greece, 2005-08), FC Rapid BucureÅŸti (Romania, 2008-09) and Gaziantepspor (Turkey, 2009-11). His most productive European experience came from his longest stint at AEK Athens FC wherein he found the back of the nets on 35 instances from 92 appearances. Júlio César would best remember his European journey for the goal in the famous 1“0 win for AEK against AC Milan in front of 60,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium Athens with a direct free kick.
A summation of Júlio’s skills, was stated by former FC Goa custodian, and his good friend, Elinton Sanchotene Andrade, the Brazilian born Portuguese goalkeeper who played with the striker at FC Rapid BucureÅŸti. “He is a very good player, strong with a very good technique. He may be 36, but he runs the way an 18-year-old player does. He trains every day, has an athletic mindset, is a very good professional with a strong kick, very good power,” Andrade said.
Let us get into the confirmed player list. Thirty-eight-year-old Lucimar Da Silva Ferreira (Lucio) was easily the marquee player with most time on the field last season. His astute leadership skills coupled with his team-mates adhering to a game centring around him helped the Gaurs have a successful season, the final blemish on home stadia notwithstanding. Zico, who addressed the local media on August 4 in the State has gone on record that he wanted the team to play around Lucio for the forthcoming season as well.
Grégory Arnolin (35), the Frenchman is the most capped FC Goa player and has been a bulwark in the back wall. He wore the captain’s armband with élan when circumstances asked from him in the previous two seasons of the ISL. Luciano Sabrosa (37), a seasoned campaigner with various major I-League clubs not only brings with him sound experience playing in Indian climatic conditions for several years and knowing many of the domestic talents in the opposition first-hand but also solidity in defence whenever fielded in the starting 11.
Jofre Mateu González (36) the charismatic midfielder returns to the India for a third season on the trot. He has been a lynchpin for his first side; Atlético de Kolkata in the inaugural season playing his part to take them to the title, while in the following year pursuing an encore, this time with FC Goa came agonisingly short in the final hurdle. Reinaldo Da Cruz Oliveira (37), may have had 10 appearances last season and been the top goal-scorer for his side with seven goals, but that said his conversion rate on opportunities that came his way cut a sorry picture.
A very late replacement for passenger on tour -- Victor, Rafael Coelho made an immediate impression with his on field appearance as he did with his striking heavily-tattoed frame. His work ethic and impact with the side even while carrying a niggle, deservedly earned him another season with the Gaurs. At 28, he has shown in the previous season, that the recovery process is quicker for a younger player to be back in action on field sooner than a veteran. Among the new foreign players confirmed for season 3, there are three Brazilians, two of them midfielders, Richarlyson Barbosa Felisbino (33) and Trinidade Goncalves (21), with the third, 20-year-old Rafael Dumas, a defender. Inclusion of the two talented young legs among foreign signings in the squad is a heartening sight.
