In the lead up to the inaugural Hero Indian Super League, many within the Delhi Dynamos camp have emphasised the need to play an attacking brand of football that befits the status of a team from the national capital. Considering fans in the city are deprived of quality football throughout the year, the franchise has made a conscious attempt to lure them to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The carrot of exciting football, it is believed, won’t be resisted.
The appointment of head coach Harm van Veldhoven — facilitated by Dynamos’ Dutch partner Feyenoord Rotterdam — has been portrayed as a natural choice since he shares the franchise’s vision. There’s an expectation that Dynamos will be set up in a 4-3-3 formation with a high-pressing approach.
It’s tough to claim with conviction, though, that van Veldhoven will stay true to his vision, if things don’t work out. Before his first training session with the Indian contingent of Dynamos, the Dutch-Belgian coach acknowledged that he had not seen many of them play before. Van Veldhoven added that he may not learn fully about his players until the end of first season.
How long before pragmatism takes hold, then?
It remains to be seen whether the players have brought into van Veldhoven’s vision yet as the franchise has chosen to conduct training and friendly matches behind closed doors. While the results in friendlies have been encouraging, they have come against teams of much lower standard than the ones Dynamos will meet in the HISL.
Van Veldhoven had revealed that he expects the Indian players to feature on flanks while the foreigners will fill most of the central positions. This move is guided by the thought that technical ability will matter more in the middle of the pitch. Dynamos’ draft picks echoed that idea. Now, it’s time for the players to echo the franchise’s vision.
The squad:
Goal Keepers: Jagroop Singh, Kristof van Hout, Marek Cech.
Defenders: Anwar Ali, Govin Singh, Munmun Lugun, Naoba Singh, Robert Lalthlamuana, Shouvik Ghosh, Stijn Houben, Wim Raymaekers.
Midfielders: Adil Khan, Bruno Arias, Francis Fernandes, Gustavo Santos, Hans Mulder, Henrique Dias, Manish Bhargav, Pavel Elias, Shylo Malswamtluanga, Souvik Chakraborthy, Steven Dias.
Forwards: Alessandro Del Piero, Mads Junker, Manandeep Singh, Morten Skoubo.
Head coach: Harm van Veldhoven.
Assistant coach: Shakti Chauhan.
Owner: DEN Networks.
Marquee player: Alessandro Del Piero
Watch out for:
Francis Fernandes: Fresh from a goal in India’s 2-3 defeat to Palestine in Monday’s friendly, Francis Fernandes is expected be an integral part of Delhi Dynamos. The 28-year-old started his career as a winger but gradually became accustomed to playing across the front three positions behind the striker. Fernandes made his name at Salgaocar after joining the club in 2006 and has been a regular with the national side since he made his debut in 2011.
Kristof Van Hout: Among the visual delights that one is likely to witness this season is Kristof van Hout, if only on account of his height. The Belgian, standing at six feet and ten inches, is certain to be an imposing presence in goal. Considered to be the joint-tallest goalkeeper in professional football, van Hout has represented clubs like Standard Liege and Genk in domestic and continental competitions.
Published – October 10, 2014 10:31 pm IST
