Federation Cup run was the turning point of the season – Arthur Papas interview

While Bengaluru FC made all the headlines by winning the I-League in their inaugural season the performances of a young Dempo squad went unnoticed. The Goan club used the maximum number of under-23 players during the 2013-14 campaign and yet finished fourth in the I-League and narrowly missed out on the Federation Cup title.

It was a season of transition for Dempo with Armando Colaco leaving the club after 13 seasons. Colaco’s replacement Arthur Papas had his work cut out and the Australian endured a difficult start to the campaign. But by the second half of the season, Papas started getting the best out of an inexperienced squad and a couple of key foreign signings further improved their results.

Eventually Dempo finished higher than they did in the 2012-13 I-League and have an exciting group of youngsters to build for the future. Sportskeeda caught up with Papas for an exclusive interview where he gave his thoughts on last season and looked ahead to next term.

How would you sum up your first season at Dempo?

Overall, we had a very strong season for which we achieved the majority of our objectives. On the field this included finishing higher than the previous season, whilst at the same time rejuvenating the whole playing squad, in the end it was analysed that by the season’s end we had played on average with the youngest squad in the whole I-League yet we made a point of rarely mentioning this throughout the season.

Off the field we also made some giant strides, as I was astounded upon arrival at how little attention had been given to the overall infrastructure of the club. With the introduction of general secretary Alberto Colaco together we worked tirelessly to ensure we fulfilled the AFC club licensing Criteria, in addition to investing in our medical department, facilities and implementation of the processes that are expected at professional level and will hold Dempo SC in good stead for years to come.

Did you achieve the targets, which you set at the start of the season?

After a very difficult start to the season our final position shows we not only achieved the objectives set, but also achieved them in a manner, which leaves everyone feeling very optimistic about the future. When you consider that with nine games to go we were 12 points adrift of Sporting Clube as an example, and to finish the season in fourth above them shows how strong we were upon the completion of the season. Most pleasing part in all this is that we never came unstuck during very difficult times and the players all believed in the way we were going about it and slowly it all fell into place.

Our chairman Mr. Shrinivas Dempo, who was a constant support and provided great stability, had identified the need to promote and develop talented young Indian footballers. To gauge how far we progressed in this area was to see that Dempo now lead the way in dominating junior national teams and in the future we will see many of these names part of the senior national team setup!

What were the highlights of the season?

Overall the highlight was seeing the character within the group come to the fore in the second half of the season. We saw young players become men as the season progressed and seasoned professionals prove many critics wrong by showing they still have a lot of fight left in them.

We maintained some very good characters in our squad and complimented them with younger players who are hungry to establish themselves as professional footballers. In the end it might have taken a little bit of time but we found a good balance in our squad and all pushed in the same direction. There is nothing more empowering as a coach than seeing your team stick together, maintaining faith in each other and working collectively to improve. I couldn’t have been prouder than to lead this group of men over the course of the season.

How much did the additions of Tolgay Ozbey and Zohib Islam Amiri help in the second half of the campaign?

Both additions brought an infectious energy into the team and from day one you could sense that they would complement our existing squad. From a recruitment point of view it was important we identified players who knew India and the I-League to ensure they adapted quickly being mid-season.

They added a point of difference at both ends of the park and my feeling is that having now coached them for over half a season, they can improve even further and this is the exciting part of having signed them for next season. They are both terrific characters and I hope they push on from next season and play a pivotal role in the future of Dempo SC.

Any regrets of not winning the Federation Cup after playing so well in the semi-final?

Absolutely no regrets, actually I reflect on the Federation Cup being the turning point of the season. During this tournament the group realized that all the work that had been put in the previous months would eventually pay off and we gained confidence that we carried into the I-League.

As you mentioned, we played so very well in this tournament and this for me as a coach is just as important because the teams I coach I want to be proud of, I want them to play with no fear and to express themselves creatively and in the semi-final although we lost we played as good a game as we did all year, we completely dominated possession and this gave us all the belief that if we maintain this standard of football the results would follow and they did.

How was the experience in Japan during the Pro License Course?

A fantastic experience and a real important part for my personal development, I’m a huge advocate for the continuous education of a coach and the ability to improve is there if you keep placing yourselves in the correct environments, so experiences like Japan are great and provide you with more and more ideas to develop your own style.

Eight of your U-23 players were named among the Asian Games probables, how delighted are you with that?

It’s a testament to these boys commitment and the vision of our Chairman Mr Dempo that in the space of twelve months, Dempo SC have gone from having possibly one player in calculations for this squad to now having eight in the preliminary squad.

Of course from a club point of view this places Dempo SC in an enviable position across the country, but it also makes the life of the coach interesting as you are continually trying to balance the developmental needs with the results, which effectively is what the job is about.

I do however consider this a great result as well and something we can all be proud of at Dempo SC and the club as it stands today is in an extremely healthy position for the future!

I believe all of those youngsters have committed their long-term futures to Dempo, will they form the core of your side next season?

These youngsters have committed their long-term futures to Dempo

Yes, all these players have committed long-term to Dempo SC, this was important that it was sorted out as early as possible because we did not want to invest in them over the course of a year and then have other clubs who pay little attention to development prize them away.

In saying do they form the core of our side this has already happened in season 13-14 as proven by the statistical analysis and now it is about working hard together to keep improving and becoming main players for not only Dempo SC but also for the national team setup.

Looking forward and even this year I don’t provide them with an excuse that failure to perform can be justified because of their age. They know with me they need to work hard every day and earn their place in the team week to week.

Will winning the I-League be a target for next season?

Your target every season needs to be to win and the pressure will continue to be there as it was this year that Dempo SC. It doesn’t matter how much the goal posts have been moved in terms of financially, age of the squad, or direction of the club, our fans for the most part who have been so used to success want instant results.

What I am very confident about is that if we can maintain our core group and continue to grow as a club we will go on to win the I-League within the next 18-24 months.