Goutam Ghosh’s Blog: The performance of the Indian U17 Football Team against the mighty Italy U17 Football Team last night was not only a historic feat in Indian football history, but also something which gave me immense pleasure. The new Portuguese coach Luis Norton de Matos too deserves a lot of applauds. This team was under my guidance in 2013-2014 season and I have monitored this boys from a close distance.
I know Abhijit since he was 14. A polite and naturally gifted player who loves to rule the attacking third with his creativity. When I was with the U14 squad, I used to spend a lot of time with Abhijit and two other Bengali players who were there in the squad. The most significant thing which I noticed in Abhijit, was his decision-making power, which is hardly seen these days among Indian players. He is electric in this attribute. This is something which can lead him towards his bigger dreams. His ball control and dribbling skills are something incredible. He is so versatile that he can play in various roles. He can play as a winger, as a supporting striker and also as a defensive midfielder. It might seem awkward, but it’s a researched fact in modern football science that a good forward has the quality to be a good defender too. He knows the psychology of a forward better than the others. That is applicable in Abhijit’s game as well.
Unfortunately, during the tenure of Nicolai Adam, Abhijit was not getting the proper exposure. Nicolai was of the typical German genre who used to love playing the direct football and in his vision Abhijit was not that an useful weapon. He used to come more as a substitute during that time. The moment the new Portuguese coach Luís Norton de Matos took the baton on his hand, the story started to get changed. As a Portuguese, he loves the ball players and those who can control the game in the midfield. Ever since Norton came, Abhijit has become a regular choice.
Though he scored a crucial goal against Italy and has been playing some entertaining football these days, I would be requesting everyone to allow him to put his feet on the ground and not to get carried away. He is a rare talent and he should concentrate more to lead the football of our country to a better future.