Exclusive interview with Odisha FC goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh

Football runs in Arshdeep Singh’s blood. The Chandigarh-born goalkeeper was introduced to the “beautiful game” by his father Daljit Singh, who was a goalkeeper himself for JCT for twelve years.

Arshdeep was a standout performer in Odisha FC’s disastrous ISL 2020-21 campaign, making 64 saves in 16 appearances. His sharp reflexes between the sticks saved OFC the blushes on several occasions, grabbing many eyeballs in the Indian football fraternity in the process.

Having risen through the ranks at Punjab’s Minerva Academy and later AIFF’s Elite Academy, Arshdeep was part of the Punjab FC (now Roundglass Punjab FC) squad that clinched the 2017-18 I-League title. In 2019, the tall shot-stopper made his foray into the Indian Super League by joining Odisha FC on a three-year contract. The 24-year old has represented the Juggernauts on 25 occasions so far, making 93 saves and keeping 2 clean sheets.

In a freewheeling chat with Sportskeeda ahead of ISL 2021-22, Arshdeep spoke about a wide range of topics including his formative years, his role models, OFC’s contribution to his progress and his aspirations of playing for India. He also played a rapid fire round with us. Here are the excerpts:

Q: You’re staying in bio-bubbles for two consecutive seasons now. How did you spend your quarantine period this time around?

Arshdeep: We were more prepared this year (laughs). We don’t feel trapped because we stay together as a family and communicate with each other. It wasn’t so hard.

We’re always busy. We go for training in the morning, return to the hotel and take an ice bath, have lunch, take some rest and go to the gym in the evening. That’s our schedule, so we don’t have much leisure time. We sleep early because we have to wake up early.

Q: Talk us through your formative years. How did you get into football?

Arshdeep: I come from a football family. My father was a goalkeeper too, so I think it’s in my blood (laughs). I started playing the game at the age of six. I used to accompany my brother to the school team.

You know, I never played in any other position; I directly became a goalkeeper because of my father’s influence. My father was my first role model as he used to show me his videos and inspired me to become a footballer. He played twelve years for JCT before moving to Punjab Police.

Q: Is there any international goalkeeper whom you’ve idolized since your childhood?

Arshdeep: Yes, of course. I say in every interview that I idolize Gurpreet (Singh Sandhu) paaji because I’ve trained under him. I was at Minerva Academy FC when he came back from Stabaek FC. He used to train with us and guide us. He is the best goalkeeper in India and I’ve learnt a lot from him.

Q: Is there any special advice given by Gurpreet that has proved fruitful for you?

Arshdeep: He told me I have the quality to make it big at the professional level. We played against each other in the ISL and he was very happy to see me. He said, “Dekho, mera bhai aaj mere khilaf khel raha hai.” [See, my brother is playing against me today]. It was a great feeling for me to hear him say that!

Q: You mentioned Minerva Academy a short while back. It has been one of the best academies in India lately, in terms of unearthing fresh talents. What is so special about the academies in Punjab?

Arshdeep: Initially, I was at Chandigarh Football Academy for five years. It has a brilliant infrastructure and Harjinder Singh was our coach at the time. He was part of the Asian All Stars team in his prime, so you can understand how massive his influence has been. We are fortunate to have been coached by such great players.

Speaking of the Minerva academy, I think Ranjit Bajaj is the main reason why it has been so successful. He is very passionate about his club and academy. He can do anything for his players.

Q: What impact has Ranjit Bajaj had on your career?

Arshdeep: He gave me the platform to pursue football professionally at a time when I was hopeless. I thought of quitting football [at that stage] because my career was going nowhere. My brother was playing for Minerva at the time, so he introduced me to Bajaj paaji. Bajaj paaji was so welcoming that he immediately said, “Haan haan, use bula lo” [Yes, yes; call him for the trials]. He’s like that only. If you tell Bajaj paaji a player is good, he always shows interest. He’s a very nice man.

Q: In the 2019-20 ISL season, you played 9 matches. Last season you not only played 7 more matches, but also made the most number of saves (64). How much has your confidence grown over the past couple of years?

Arshdeep: In 2019-20, I was a rookie at the club, but all the players and the coaching staff were very supportive. We had [Francisco] Dorronsoro in our team that season and I got to learn a lot from him. He was a good fellow goalkeeper who guided me on a lot of things.

It was great that I got 9 matches in my first season with Odisha FC. The coach trusted me, which is very rare for a rookie when he joins a new club. Last season the same thing happened. It made me feel more confident about my abilities. When the coach gives you so much confidence, you start feeling there’s something special about you. It’s all about making the most of your chances.

Q: From a technical perspective, how much have you evolved under Odisha FC’s goalkeeping coaches?

Arshdeep: [Rogerio] Ramos sir was our goalkeeping coach last season. He used to emphasize the technical aspects by ensuring we didn’t make silly mistakes. He used to tell us that goalkeeping is very simple and we should keep it simple. His philosophy is to make difficult things easier rather than the opposite. Our training sessions were very intense. Even now they are very intense under our new goalkeeping coach Manu Patricio. If you train hard and go into a match, everything becomes easy for you.

Q: How have your interactions with your new head coach Kiko Ramírez been so far?

Arshdeep: He is always very positive and talks to every player. Whenever he calls us up, he tells us that we’re good enough to be in the team; otherwise we would have been sent home long back. If your coach is positive, the whole team stays positive. Let’s hope we can bag some positive results this season.

Q: There is tough competition among Indian goalkeepers at the moment. What do you think should be your target for the upcoming season so that you can earn a national call-up soon?

Arshdeep: For now I’m only focusing on ISL. If I make many saves and keep ample clean sheets, I’ll automatically receive a national call-up. Obviously I’m going to play for India someday. Let’s hope for the best (smiles)!

Q: What are your thoughts on Odisha FC’s squad for ISL-8? Do you think your team’s defensive issues from last season have been fixed?

Arshdeep: I think the squad looks awesome this season because we’ve got some good youngsters. We’re much improved players now. The foreigners, meanwhile, bring plenty of experience to the side. Some of them like Javi [Hernández] and Victor [Mongil] have played in the ISL before, so they know what the standard in India is. Jonathas, of course, is a big striker with a proven track record. Hopefully we’ll perform well this season and lift the trophy.

RAPID FIRE ROUND

Your favorite football club apart from Odisha FC – Manchester United

Your favorite overseas goalkeeper – David de Gea

Your most memorable match in the ISL – Last season’s first-leg game against FC Goa (Odisha FC 0-1 FC Goa)

The most dangerous striker you’ve faced in the ISL so far – I think [it’s] Roy Krishna. He’s a beast (laughs)! Coro [Ferran Corominas] was very clinical as well.

Any new hobbies you picked up during the lockdown? – I started reading books. “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” is my recent favorite.

Your dream holiday destination – I would like to visit Japan!

Your favorite cheat meal – I love biryani and aloo parathas made by my mummy (laughs)!

If you were not a footballer, what would you have become? – Main phir padhai likhai karke koi engineer ban jata [I would’ve studied and become an engineer]!

Odisha FC will begin their ISL-8 campaign by taking on Bengaluru FC at Vasco's Tilak Maidan Stadium on November 24.