All is not lost for Hyderabad FC as a long season beckons them

The new season has not started well for Hyderabad FC. In the two games that they have played so far in the Durand Cup, they have not managed to get a single win.

The first game that they played was a 1-1 stalemate against lowly-ranked Delhi FC, who have only just earned promotion into the I-League, the second-tier of the Indian football league structure.

The next game that Hyderabad played was against fellow Indian Super League side Chennaiyin FC, and they were given a real rollicking. Hammered by a massive 1-3 scoreline, the Nawabs did not seem to be in the game at all and were treated to just punishment for all the mistakes that they made.

Chinglensana Singh was perhaps the only senior still left untouched by the transfer registration ban (along with the likes of Sahil Tavora, Hitesh Sharma, Gurmeet Singh et al). But there was very little that he could have done to prevent his side from crashing to such a defeat.

Hit by the aforementioned transfer registration ban, the Yellow and Black Brigade have had to make do with the existing players in their squad. What is worse, even the players who signed contract extensions last season have not been deemed eligible to play in the Durand Cup.

This has also meant that all the new signings, including Jonathan Moya, Joe Knowles, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy and others, cannot be selected for the aforementioned tournament as yet.

First-team coach Conor Nestor, who was brought in to replace outgoing manager Manolo Marquez, had already mentioned that the Durand Cup came too soon for his side. Due to things outside the purview of the club, they could not quite get the ideal preparation time needed for this season-opening tournament.

In an interview with Sportstar earlier this month, the Irishman had said:

“The Durand Cup has come a bit too soon for us. We just had four training sessions and will probably get four more squeezed in. This is not probably what the supporters want to hear and certainly not in my nature generally to use a competitive competition as a warm-up, but it’s unavoidable."

Although the lack of preparation time cannot be given as an excuse in professional sport, one has to understand that Nestor and new manager Thangboi Singto's hands were tied.

Despite this shortcoming of theirs, Hyderabad FC bravely decided to put their best foot forward in the Durand Cup. The youngsters that they fielded from their reserves did extremely well, with young Ramhlunchhunga standing out with an Olympic goal he scored in the first game against Delhi FC.

Midfielder Mark Zothanpuia too held his own in midfield as did defenders Alex Saji and Manoj Mohammed. Aaren D'Silva, the lone striker who marshalled the Nawabs' attack in both games, however, was a bit rusty, but one can only expect the Goan to get better with time.

Young players forced to play out of position at Hyderabad FC

One of the biggest issues that have plagued Hyderabad FC is the inability of the team management to ascertain in which positions their youngsters should play. Right-back Sajad Parray, for example, constantly shuffled across from right-back to left-back in both the games he played.

While this can be a big pointer in the versatility of the said player, it can also lead to the crushing of his morale if he fails to make that spot his own. Alex Saji, Manoj Mohammed, and Nim Dorjee Tamang interchanged themselves when Hyderabad FC played a three-man defence against Delhi FC. Only Chinglensana stayed static at left centre-back.

Although Dorjee has a bit of experience playing at right-back, his skills were not quite used to their potential. Up front, in the attacking department, Hyderabad have been short-sold with the presence of just one out-and-out striker in Aaren D'Silva.

This has increased the workload tremendously upon the hapless Goan, who was only helped out at times by the efficient Mohammed Yasir whenever he came on.

These issues are far from being cosmetic. The Yellow and Black Brigade need to sort them out as soon as possible in order to do well in the one game that they still have remaining - against Tribhuwan Army on 22 August, Tuesday.

While Hyderabad have a very small chance of qualifying for the quarterfinals of this tournament, they should not treat that game lightly. It will give them some much-needed game time ahead of the Indian Super League, which is slated to start in late September.

The supporters of the club have been left disappointed with this horror showing from the Nawabs. However, they are hopeful of the Yellow and Black Brigade gaining momentum and coming back into form.