Five wins, not finishing last is Indian Arrows’ target in I-League

Results not important, gaining experience from I-League is, says Indian Arrows coach Luis Norton de Matos.

Luis Norton de Matos feels his boys would have more than held their own against the men in this I-League if Indian Arrows notch up five wins and don’t finish last. “That (being at the bottom) would hurt our pride,” said the Portuguese coach in Kolkata on Thursday.

Indian Arrows have surprised one many with their performances in the I-League. (PTI)

Two 3-0 wins in five rounds have left de Matos “very, very satisfied and a lot of people surprised”. Because this is a development squad comprising Indian teenagers competing against teams that often have five foreigners among 11 professionals. “We know there will be more defeats than victories.”

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There are seven players in the Arrows’ squad who will be eligible for one more under-19 AFC Championship.

“By then, these boys, having gained the experience of playing in the I-League, should be able to cope with teams such as Japan, Iran or Iraq. And it is not just about the AFC championships; maybe in time four to six players from here will be part of the senior national team,” said de Matos.

De Matos’ boys will take on Mohun Bagan at their home ground on Friday, two days after dismantling early pace-setters Shillong Lajong 3-0 in New Delhi with Nongdamba Naorem’s dribbling skills fetching a wondrous goal. “It can be among the top five goals in Asia,” said de Matos.

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“There were six players (against Lajong) who were 16 years old,” he said. And given that fixture pile-ups mean the boys don’t get adequate time to recover, de Matos hinted Naorem could start because he prefers fresh players.

Citing examples of Renato Sanches and Angel Gomes, the coach said he was confident about his players competing with grown-ups. That is why he pitched for the I-League to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) during the FIFA U-17 World Cup, he said. It provides the perfect platform for development because there is no practice like match practice, he added.

Playing against Mohun Bagan, who, according to the coach, are title-contenders along with East Bengal at their home too, will be part of the learning experience.

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“Before the World Cup, one of the enigmas for me was how would the boys react to the support of 50,000 people in New Delhi. Tomorrow, it will be a different experience for them. Against Saudi Arabia (in the Asian U-19 qualifiers in Saudi Arabia), we lost because the public support was incredible. We need to learn lessons from that.”

Sitting alongside, Rahim Ali, 17, and a Mohun Bagan product, said they know their opponents are stronger and more experienced but they feared no one. “We love playing football so, how can you be scared to do just that,” he said. Only someone still not old enough to vote can say it like that and sound convincing.