Interview: Indian U23 Football Defensive Trio - Part 2

Here’s Part 2 of the interview with Arnab Mondal, Abhishek Das and Gurjinder Kumar, the defensive trio of the Indian U23 team which played against Qatar in the Pre-Olympic Qualifier. Read Part 1 of the Interview here

From L-R: Abhishek Das, Arnab Mondal and Gurjinder Kumar

RK to Gurjinder: When you joined Pune FC last season, you had to step into the shoes of crowd favorite Sergey Tokov.Despite this big challenge, you did a great job and were named the U23 Player of the year. How would you rate your first season with PFC and how did you handle the pressure of playing at that position?

Gurjinder: Frankly speaking when I joined Pune FC I didn’t think I would play much. I felt I would require a year or two to settle down and then when I get a chance I would give it my 100%. But my fellow left back at PFC had to undergo an operation, and I was drafted in as I was the only other left back left. Given the opportunity I grabbed it both my hands, put in sincere effort and slowly started to show the talent that I had in me. Thus I started gaining experience with every match.

RK to Gurjinder and Abhishek: Both of you are products of the Tata Football Academy. If you see there are loads of youngsters like you, Raju and Robin all from TFA who are making it big after passing out. What would you like to say about the role of TFA in your development and as well as in nurturing and churning out youngsters like you?

Abhishek: Frankly, if there is one stage we are grateful for then that is TFA. If not for TFA we wouldn’t be here. We are really thankful to TFA for providing us with such a opportunity due to which we are at this position. TFA will always be close to my heart.

Gurjinder: Whatever I am today, all the credit should go to TFA.

RK to Gurjinder and Abhishek: Any particular individual who had inspired you at TFA?

Abhishek: Ranjan Chowdhury, Vijay Kumar, Carlton Chapman. All of them are really good coaches and they have supported us always.

RK to Arnab: You captain a Chirag FC Side comprising of senior players like Sunil Chhetri, Josimar etc. How do you handle it and go about with the captaincy?

Arnab: See it is not like that. Football is a team game. I cannot take any decision on my own. All the decisions are taken after proper discussion with the senior players. I cannot take decisions on my own. It is a team game and that’s the right way to handle it. It is not an individuals game. Seniority and juniority doesn’t matter. We all mix and stay together as a group. Whenever someone has to make a decision then he makes it and we accept it.

RK to Arnab: You are among 8 players who were not part of the Indian Arrows set up. When you are called up for a qualifier like this one, how do you gel and settle in with the team?

Arnab: Thats the way it is. See even in foreign countries players who play for different clubs are called up for international duty. Sometimes you are together for just for a week or two. Your coaches are different, the system is different so you have to adapt. Only then can you call yourself a good player. You have no option but to adapt. All the team members supported me so it became much easier.

RK to Arnab: Behind the backdrop of the financial problems with the Chirag team, and as captain, how does it feel when you hear news that key players like Josimar and Choi Young have been retained for next season?

Arnab: See the problem is with the sponsorship. They are saying that new sponsors will be brought in. But then if I keep concentrating on these things it may affect my game. Thats why I am solely concentrating on playing. I have to play and I know they will bring news sponsors. Everything is in their hands. We as players have to continue playing and concentrating irrespective of the situation.

RK to Arnab: Looks like Chirag are going to shift base from Kolkata to Siliguri next season. How do you feel will the transition be into a new place, new surroundings?

Arnab: Actually all these developments have taken place after I have come here. Yes it is a new place but then I am under the payroll of the club. I am a professional player. So wherever they shift I have to go. It is similar to how I have come here to play for my country. Everyone has to move it’s not just me. I cannot tell that I will not move to Siliguri and sit at home. I have to go.

RK to Arnab: Being from Kolkata, can you describe the rivalry between East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Chirag?

Arnab: For that you should witness a game. For example derby matches between East Bengal-Mohun Bagan or we against East Bengal. You need to be there to understand the supporters and see how it is. If you play well they will praise you but if you make silly mistakes they will show you how they feel. The pressure is immense. It is the same when you play for India. It is good to play under pressure. You get motivated that you are up against a formidable opponent. It keeps you interested and if you play well then it helps you focus better and will lead to better publicity. The supporters in Kolkata really enjoy their game. It is not only about the big 3. There are other teams as well. Teams like Mohammedan in the second division. Many news teams are also coming up. Lots of corporates are coming in.

RK to Gurjinder: You have just signed a 2 year contract extension. There are lots of experienced players in PFC like Ajayan, Venky and Subrata. How has been your experience been working day in day out with Derrick and all these experienced players?

Gurjinder: He is an exceptional coach. He knows how to utilize a player….how to play him. Thats the kind of coach he is. All I can say is that he is fantastic.

RK to Gurjinder: How has he helped in your development as a player?

Gurjinder: My game has improved leaps and bounds under him. When I passed out of TFA, I had my natural ability but I had no idea about how the game is played at club level. But after coming here he gave me lot of confidence, gave me game time. He kept on motivating me all the way. I have improved quite a lot as a player and that’s only because of him.

RK: Mahindra United got disbanded last year. Last week JCT got disbanded. Do you feel sort of insecure when you hear of such things? Does it affect your game?

Arnab: Yes it does affect you as a player. Because if you lose a sponsor in between it may mean that you won’t get paid. And it has happened with us, some of the players didn’t get paid. What if the new sponsor leaves after 6 months. Will they honor their contract? If they have been contracted for 2 years will they pay all the money before they leave? If the sponsor is not paying or is leaving then it does create a problem because we as players are not confident about our futures.

Abhishek: Look at players from JCT. Now what will happen with them. May be some of them had offers with them, may some didn’t. Where will they go? What about their careers? I feel the clubs/sponsors should think about the security of the players.

RK to Abhishek: Should AIFF do something about this?

Abhishek: See now you cannot put pressure on AIFF. They themselves are running a team now. Probably when Mahindra went out they brought another team in. But then now that JCT has disbanded one cant expect AIFF to do something about this one as well. In fact JCT should be thinking about its own players. They have been in the I-League for so long, they have been performing well, just because they get relegated they should not disband. This is especially bad for young talent from Punjab. They are losing out.

RK to Abhishek: During the I-League we see that hardly any people turn up for matches. What message would you like to give to the fans?

Abhishek: People should come and cheer. See there is a team representing your city, if you don’t come and support them then whom will you support. Only if you support them will they think of playing better. The players will feel motivated that they have to play for the crowd. Same is the case with the Indian Arrows when we play in Gurgaon. There are hardly 10 people in the crowd. When people cheer for you and show their appreciation when you score a goal it just drives you more to perform better. Even after playing for a year it happens that you pass by and no one even knows you.

RK to Abhishek: Does this sort of demotivate and demoralize you when this happens?

Abhishek: Actually as a professional player it shouldn’t make a difference. It shouldn’t make a difference whether people call out to you or support you. Your club pays you and so you have to play. But then personally it does feel good when you have support.