"We were the lowest ranked team in the tournament and we ended up winning the Cup" - Denzil Franco interview

Denzil Franco (right) and Lenny Rodrigues (left)

How was the feeling in the camp. Before the final and after the win?

I feel that it was a great achievement for the National Team. All the teams were higher ranked teams, including Cameroon who are a regular World Cup playing team. I feel the entire nation should be proud of what the team has done. I feel we need to use this start and carry forward from here on. We have the opportunity to get the rankings much higher. We have got a great chance now and like I’ve said many times already – Nothing is impossible!

You lost to Cameroon in the dress rehearsal. Did that match help you guys fine tune yourselves for the final?

The final before the final did help us quite well. For every match, you always go in with a plan – what their plus points are, what their weaknesses are. The match helped us to locate their weakness and where we can stop them. The match gave us a good understanding as to what we can expect from them in the final. Our coach, Wim Koevermans had a good plan and he gave us good instructions and that helped us a lot.

The crowds at the stadium were packed and loud to say the least. Did the backing of such a huge crowd actually help or influence your team’s play?

The crowd support was a big plus point for us. The support came from all corners of the crowd, and such boisterous support was a big help for us.

Let’s talk about your performance in the tournament. How would you rate your display in the Nehru Cup?

My first game was against the Maldives where I played the last 5 minutes. I wasn’t upto my mark in that game. I started against Nepal, and I was keen on giving my best but the match was affected by rain and we weren’t able to perform to our best.

The game was more of defending, counter-attacking and more of long balls. I felt I wasn’t great but I did my job decently.

Against Cameron, I felt I did a good job. The coach also praised my work in that game. In the final, the final 30 minutes was just outstanding, I kept thinking that even if I make a silly mistake the team could lose. I had to be very focused and calm, because 1 penalty or a card could have turned things in their favour.

About the penalty, how was it to walk up to the spot knowing there is so much pressure on you to score?

Of course, it was a big pressure situation but thankfully for me, I have had such experiences in the past. Like in the SAFF cup final and also in the Durand cup last year. I just prayed to God and I was quite confident that I would score. I was every excited on scoring and you could see by my reaction how much it meant.

All 5 penalty takers successfully converted their penalties, did the team actually focus on penalty taking during practice?

Not all that much really. Around 3 players may have practiced the spot kicks: but not all of them. But when we did practice, the funny thing was all of them missed and I was the first one to actually score. I guess that is why the coach had the confidence in me and asked me to take the spot kick. I was very confident and told him yes.

About the coach, how much of an influence has the coach had on the team?

Wim Kovermans has been to a lot of places and he is a very experienced coach. He is also a very calm person and understands the players well. He was always the person who kept motivating us saying anything is possible. Even when we started the camp, he seemed impressed with the camp and told the players that he’s sure we’d go far as a team and that pumped up the team. It was great working under him and I want to continue doing so.

The previous Indian team has been criticized a lot for choosing the long-ball tactic. That hasn’t been very successful. But now we can see that there has been a marked difference in how the Indians play. The team relies more on building play rather than launching balls upfront…

I feel football is a game and we should entertain the people. People who come to watch us should go back thinking the game was worth the money that they paid. I think, the Indian team tried to entertain their fans and win during the tourney.

The coach also was very sure about the tactic he was going to use. In fact, on the very first day he told us – No Long Balls! Previously it has been about too many long balls for us and it was necessary for us to keep the ball at our feet and play.

It was amazing to see the way the guys played from the stands and even from the bench. For me as well, it was nice to play passing football and I hope we carry on playing this way and we’ll go forward.

India are placed 169 in the FIFA rankings. Do you think it is a fair reflection of where India stands among other football playing countries?

It doesn’t really make much sense. We were easily many times better than teams which were ranked higher than us. We were the lowest ranked team in the tournament and we ended up winning the Cup. I’m not underestimating our opponents, but I feel we were really good and that all this rankings hype did not affect us. If we keep continuing to play the way we are playing, we will automatically climb up the ladder.

I feel the team is also ready to take on teams like Kuwait, etc. That will give us an opportunity to show what we are capable of. They have to stick with the same team for some time to come. This is young team with a few experienced folks and the more the teams spends together the results will start to show.

What next for Denzil Franco? What are your goals for the next year or so?

For now, to stick on to the international team and to win the Durand Cup with my Club, Churchill Brothers. The club has this one trophy lacking in the cabinet and I would like to help them win it. Then, we move on to the I-League and I want the club to retake the crown.