Looking back at FC Pune City's best player from the ISL, Nicky Shorey

Nicky Shorey put in great performances down the left flank, attacking with vigour and defending stoutly

One of the most key signings of ISL 2015 was that of former Reading left-back, Nicky Shorey. FC Pune City roped in this high profile defender who has also previously played for clubs like Aston Villa and West Bromwich.

And keeping up to his reputation, Shorey, who was voted by the fans of Reading in the Royals best-ever eleven, did not disappoint the patrons of the Maharashtrian club. What probably was disappointing was the fact that his team could not reach the knock out stages of the league and went crashing out after their 3-2 defeat against NorthEast United in Guwahati.

Pune’s season might have ended on a disappointing note, but Shorey’s performances throughout the season was one highlight which their fans will hold on to until next season. He therefore is surely the player of season for FC Pune City this ISL 2015.

34-year-old Englishman Shorey is known for his bursts up the left flank and is also a set-piece specialist. Conventionally he plays left-back, but can also play the role of a defensive midfielder when needed.

He spent seven years with Reading, earning 267 caps and scoring 12 goals. He then went on to play for numerous other clubs but eventually returned to Reading again for a brief second spell.

Shorey, as mentioned earlier, was a key signing for the Pune franchise. He was very consistent and played all 14 matches in the league and yet earned just one booking.

The versatility of the player can be well understood by the fact that despite playing in his traditional left-back position, he managed to list three assists to his name, and that too all in one game, against Kerala which Pune won 3-2.

The Pune team began the season very well and looked like a well-drilled outfit, knowing exactly what to do and when to do. The team was firing on all cylinders, with a highly flexible forward-line, in addition to a solid midfield.

Mutu, Tuncay and Uche up top were playing well while the midfield of Zokora, Lyngdoh and Ruiz worked well, combining well to create good goalscoring chances. However, it was Pune’s play down the flanks, particularly the left-flank, that attracted everyone’s attention.

Shorey set a great example of professionalism for the Pune outfit, performing very well throughout the season

Shorey and Jairu formed a great tandem with the left-back offering great overlap options and exchanging passes with Jairu and driving forward when he had the chance. Jairu too helped Shorey out, contributing to the defensive workload by tracking the opposition full-back.

Though the Englishman Shorey isn’t the fastest now, he is a smart player and a wily customer to deal with. Through his body positioning and strength, he used to cut out passing channels and helped prevent a lot of overlaps.

Many Indian fans claim that Nicky Shorey could well have been a marquee player this season, that is how good he was. He made 26 tackles during the season along with effecting 18 interceptions.

His real quality shone through when it came to passing as the former English International produced 780 passes, of which 616 were successful. In a league as tight as this, and where players scream for space, a passing success rate of almost 80% is remarkably good.

Interestingly, the left-back also attempted four shots, of which three were on target, which shows how attacking a player he is and the instinctive feel he has for going forward.

The overall defence of the team might have very poor, particularly towards the end of the season but Shorey was one player who did all he could to stop opposition attacks and who worked very hard on helping the team keep their positions in defence and midfield.

His presence in the team also helped the young Indian players learn a lot as there was surely a lot of knowledge that Shorey could have imparted to the youngsters.

With over 15 years of experience, this was the first instance of Shorey venturing out of his country to play in a foreign land. His outing with Pune City might not have been that successful, but if we are to believe him, his Indian experience was definitely great. He has already commented on how he feels the Indian Super League, despite being just in its second season, is very competitive and how he enjoys playing alongside the young pool of players here.

At last, we can only hope that next year he comes in again and shows us how much more he has left in his bag to give.