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Newly appointed head coach of the Men's senior national football team, Igor Stimac, announced a 37-member preliminary squad for India's King's Cup campaign in Thailand. The list will be pruned down to 23 later.
Unlike his predecessor, Igor Stimac has made sensible selections. The likes of Jobby Justin, Michael Soosairaj, Rahul Bheke and Adil Khan, who didn't get opportunities under Stephen Constantine earlier, have been included in the Croatian's list. Only time will tell if they will make the final cut.
These players performed wonderfully for their clubs in the I-League and ISL but missed out due to the cut-throat competition in the Indian football.
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Here is our Unpicked XI for the King's Cup 2019:
Honourable mentions
Robin Singh (FC Pune City)
Robin Singh was out of form for the past two years and fans even questioned his inclusion in Constantine's squad. The FC Pune City forward redeemed himself in the second half of the ISL season under Phil Brown, scoring four goals and bagging three assists.
Lalrindika Ralte (East Bengal)
Lalrindika Ralte was touted to be the next big thing in Indian football after his heroics helped East Bengal reached the semi-finals of the 2013 AFC Cup. After loan spells with Mumbai City FC and ATK and a dismal 2017-18 season with Northeast United FC, Didika returned as the captain of the Reds and Golds this season.
The 26-year-old's eight assists, mainly through set-pieces, and one goal played a monumental part in East Bengal's runner-up I-League campaign.
Edwin Vanspaul (Chennai City FC)
Edwin Vanspaul has been a revelation this season for Chennai City FC in their title-winning I-League campaign. The right-back, who played as a winger and a midfielder in the previous season, didn't hesitate to surge forward to help the midfielders and his six assists is a testament of it.
Prabhsukhan Gill (Bengaluru FC)
Due to Dheeraj Singh's training stint with Motherwell SC in Scotland last year, Prabhsukhan Gill became the first choice goalkeeper for Indian Arrows and made a total of 20 appearances this season.
Having kept a total of six sheets, including one against ISL side Kerala Blasters in the Super Cup Qualifiers, Bengaluru FC has roped in Prabhsukhan Gill for the upcoming season.
Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem (Kerala Blasters)
Dheeraj signed for Kerala Blasters before the 2018-19 ISL season's commencement and was given a fight for a place in the starting line-up by Naveen Kumar. However, he claimed the No 1 spot as the season progressed and made a total of 13 appearances in the ISL.
Dheeraj had four clean sheets in the tournament, a number bettered only by Amrinder, Gurpreet, and Pawan Kumar who played more matches than him. Stimac went ahead with Vishal Kaith, the second-choice goalkeeper for FC Pune City, rather than him. Had Dheeraj been included in the national team camp, he would have gained valuable experience.
Seriton Fernandes (FC Goa)
Seriton Fernandes has been outstanding for FC Goa in the last two seasons but is yet to get a national team call-up. The right-back has been as solid as a rock in the back but sufficiently agile to overlap on the wings.
In the current season, Seriton played all of Goa's matches in the ISL and the Super Cup. Having made a total of 88 tackles, 22 interceptions, 53 clearances, and 31 blocks in the ISL, Seriton's defensive statistic is enough to prove his naysayers wrong.
In the attacking front, the 26-year-old has made 851 passes and 32 crosses, which resulted in two assists. The current squad has two very strong right-backs in the form of Rahul Bheke and Pritam Kotal. Perhaps, that is the reason Stimac overlooked him.
Gaurav Bora (Chennai City FC)
Gaurav Bora played a pivotal role in Chennai City FC's I-League title-winning campaign, scoring two goals in the final matchday against Minerva Punjab which made all the difference. The Assamese also forged a solid partnership in the heart of the defence with Roberto Eslava and led the all-Indian backline in the Super Cup.
Bora was given a chance to prove his mettle in the AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers but high pressing from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan made him prone to mistakes, which resulted in untimely goals.
Joyner Lourenco (Jamshedpur FC)
Mumbai City FC had a resurgence after FC Goa's 5-0 drubbing which saw them concede only 4 goals in eight matches, keeping 5 clean sheets in the process. Lourenco suffered an injury in Mumbai's last game against Kerala Blasters before the winter break. In the ensuing six matches in his absence, the Islanders conceded eight goals in six matches.
In the 10 matches for Mumbai City FC in the ISL, Lourenco made 30 tackles, 11 interceptions, 57 clearances, and 22 blocks. Jamshedpur FC have already signed him for the next season but Salam Ranjan Singh, Anwar Ali (Jr), and Sandesh Jhinghan's presence in the squad means he has to be satisfied with a spot in the Unpicked XI.
Asish Rai (Indian Arrows)
Asish Rai made his debut for Indian Arrows last season under the watchful eyes of Luis Norton de Matos. Then, he used to make appearances only when Sanjeev Stalin or Boris Singh were injured. But, the 20-year-old has been a regular this season in the left-back position under the tutelage of Floyd Pinto.
Fearless when going forward, Asish Rai has a goal and an assist for the Arrows in the I-League. Asish also came on as a substitute for Nishu Kumar in the game against Uzbekistan late in the second half at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers.
He has expressed his desire to play in the ISL but for the time being, he has to be content with a spot in the Unpicked XI.
Lenny Rodrigues (FC Goa)
Lenny Rodrigues is the only player to win both the editions of the Super Cup after winning it with Bengaluru FC the previous year and FC Goa in 2019.
Being the only Indian player to play more than 1,000 passes in the 2018-19 season of ISL with an accuracy of 87.35%, it is hard to figure out why the likes of Germanpreet Singh and Vinit Rai have been given the nod ahead of him.
His 75 tackles, 33 interceptions, 40 clearances, and 18 blocks speaks volumes of his defensive abilities.
Deepak Tangri (Indian Arrows)
Deepak Tangri is one of those players who has seen a major improvement in his gameplay since Floyd Pinto took charge of Indian Arrows. Tangri plays just in front of the defence line and doesn't allow the oppositions to have leeway in the midfield.
His ability to dispossess the opponent midfielders and win aerial duels in the midfield allows the attacking midfielders like Suresh Singh Wangjam and Amarjit Singh Kiyam feel secure while surging forward.
While Tangri is giving his best to get into the India team, Pronay Halder and Dhanpal Ganesh's presence means he still has a long route to cover.
Laldanmawia Ralte (East Bengal)
Part of Aizawl's title-winning I-League campaign, Laldanmawia Ralte has been a consistent performer for East Bengal in the past two seasons. This season, Danmawia scored 8 goals for the Red and Golds and finished as the second highest Indian goalscorer only behind the ever-impressive Jobby Justin.
He also linked well with Jobby Justin, Enrique Esqueda, and Jaime Santos up front, providing 3 assists. The attacking midfielder misses out on a place in the India squad owing to the likes of Brandon Fernandes, Anirudh Thapa, Raynier Fernandes, Sahal Abdul Samad, and Amarjit Singh Kiyam. Till then, he gets a spot in our Unpicked XI.
CK Vineeth (Chennaiyin FC)
Once hailed as a fan favorite for Kerala Blasters, CK Vineeth ended his association with the club on a sour note but has played a huge part in Chennaiyin FC's redemption post the ISL.
Scoring six goals in 16 appearances after switching clubs in January, Vineeth's versatility to play in the wings as well as centrally could have been useful.
But, when India has the likes of Sunil Chhetri, Jobby Justin, Udanta Singh, and Lallianzuala Chhangte firm in their respective positions, Vineeth has to settle down for a spot in this list.
Daniel Lalhlimpuia (Delhi Dynamos)
Daniel Lalhimpuia has improved considerably since leaving Bengaluru FC the previous season, where he didn't get much playing time. This season in the ISL, the 21-year-old had 690 minutes under his belt, where he scored 4 goals including a brace against his former club.
After graduating from the AIFF Elite Academy, Daniel got an opportunity to represent India U-23 team in the AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers. However, he couldn't make an impact as India failed to score a single goal.
Rahul KP (Kerala Blasters)
Rahul KP played for Indian Arrows in the last two seasons of the I-League and his pace and trickery has constantly troubled the oppositions. This season, he scored 3 goals for his team in the I-League and helped them finish eighth in the points table despite having only Indian players in their squad.
It was understandable that ISL clubs would come running after him and Kerala Blasters jumped forward to grab the local lad. While he is yet to make an appearance in the ISL, his dream of playing for the senior Indian team can be fulfilled if he keeps up his performance.
Here is the formation:
Gaurav Bora and Joyner Lourenco form the heart of the defence with Ashish Rai and Seriton Fernandes guarding the wings. Their agility, passing, and crossing accuracy can be helpful in forging partnerships with Daniel Lalhlimpuia and Rahul KP on the wider areas of the pitch. CK Vineeth can drop in the wings too overload one side of the pitch.
Deepak Tangri plays as a screen just in front of the defence allowing Laldanmawia Ralte the ability to roam forward. Lenny Rodrigues' versatility both as an attacking as well as a defensive midfielder is used here. He can drop a little behind to help Tangri or lend a hand to Ralte for his attacking plans.
