Playing football the Des Buckingham and Mumbai City FC way

It is a sunny afternoon in Mumbai and Powai, where Mumbai City FC are staying, is bustling as usual. The morning has been slightly quieter, with a few schools having declared their Christmas break. The Islanders, too, have just returned from their trip to Kolkata, which saw them cruise past East Bengal and win their fifth consecutive Indian Super League game for the first time ever.

So, spirits, despite the serene surroundings, are quite high. The string of wins also mean that Mumbai City FC sit comfortably atop the points table, having remained unbeaten in the first half of the season, and having scored 30 goals in 10 fixtures.

Goal-scoring, especially in the last couple of campaigns, has not really been a problem for the Islanders. Even last season, when they failed to qualify for the semi-finals, they made the net bulge 36 times during the league phase. This year, though, has been different. Not just because of how often they have scored, but also because they seem to have many different weapons in their arsenal.

Sitting down, beaming after yet another victory, Des Buckingham spoke exclusively to Sportskeeda on what he thinks is making Mumbai City FC tick, and why they have been so irresistible to watch lately.

“It has been 14 months and we have got a way we want to play and that involves having different ways to get to the final third. Not only are we creating more chances, we have more bodies to finish off chances. It is not just about how we get there, but also what we do when we get there. We have different personnel and different strengths of those personnel and with that, comes different ways to approach. That is why you see so many goals and goal-scorers,” Buckingham said.

Apuia, who was signed from NorthEast United FC at the start of last season, has embodied this to the tee. Prior to the Durand Cup earlier in the year, he had scored in the ISL only once. He has three goals in the ISL this season (two of those came against East Bengal last Friday), and four in total, if his goal in the Durand Cup is included.

The greater flexibility in his game is something that has come about because he has become more accustomed to the role, and because Buckingham, alongside his coaching staff, have tried to develop a young player to add as many strings to his bow as possible.

“We recruited Apuia to play as a deeper lying midfielder. When we looked at the balance of the squad this year, and the way we wanted to play, he has the skillset to develop into a more attack-minded player. There has been a lot of work that has gone into highlighting what we want to do and the reasons for it for his development overall. He has a great understanding of the game. There has been a lot of individual work that has gone into it as well, making him comfortable with things he was not comfortable with earlier,” the Mumbai City FC manager added.

Whenever speaking about Mumbai City FC, the tendency is to speak glowingly about their attacking riches and how they carve open opposition defences for fun. But football is often about the balance teams strike between their actions in possession and out of it.

At times last season, the Islanders looked shaky defensively, despite a very promising beginning. They ended up conceding 31 goals, which was significantly high, considering they were targeting the top four. And it dragged them back in the play-off race.

In 2022-23, they look much better organized and are picking and choosing their moments to press superbly – something Buckingham attributed to the increased consistency in selection, and how his players know exactly what is expected of them.

“When we talk about our style, a lot of people think about it just being in possession. It is also about being smart in when we press, how we press and picking the right moments. There is greater consistency and a clear understanding of when to do it (press) and how to do it,” he said.

“If you are going to press, the whole unit must to do. There is no point in the forwards pressing and leaving the midfield. Or the forwards and the midfield pressing and the defence staying. If we are deciding to not press and sit in a block, there has to be an understanding of why and how we are going to do it and ensure there are no gaps in between. We don’t want to sit in a block for too long because there will be a point where we are organized and we need to go back into a press. So I would like to think it is about the consistency, and then the quality and the experience of the players on the field to recognize these moments,” he further elaborated.

Mumbai City FC have been very flexible tactically

Another refreshing aspect has been how the Islanders have been able to chop and change tactics – all while maintaining a basic core of principles. On occasions, they sit back and allow the team possession, only pressing when absolutely necessary and advantageous. On other instances, like in the first half against the Kerala Blasters in Kochi, they have hustled and harried the ball, ultimately forcing mistakes that they have been able to capitalise upon.

“We don’t change our press massively week to week. When we come to a game, it is not about learning or relearning. The foundation or the base is the same – 80-90% of it does not change. There may be a few small things that we do, like we did in the last game, to change something and take advantage of something. We meet every day. Before we train, we have a team meeting. We have review sessions too – we go through the positive stuff but also look at things that need to be improved. We do sit with players one on one, or in small groups,” the Mumbai City FC manager quipped.

Because Mumbai City FC are following these processes, they have been winning games. But what happens if they suddenly lose a match they should have won, or if they are stunned in a fixture everyone expects them to win?

Well, according to Buckingham, absolutely nothing will change, in terms of Mumbai City FC's approach.

“It doesn’t change. We have set ourselves up in such a way – we work and behave in a way that gives us the most chance of being as successful as we can. That is why we don’t get a reaction even if we win games. There is a clear understanding of why we have won a game and how we have done it. In football, you can hit the required standard and the result could go against you,” he added.

“The important thing is to consistently work to the levels that you want to. Then, you don’t get a reaction and you don’t let the result affect your behaviours and emotions. I believe in how we set up, and we stay true to that. If we do that, then we are confident that, more often than not, we will put up a good performance. We have won five games in a row, gone 10 matches unbeaten but our approach has not changed and it certainly won’t do if the result changes,” the Mumbai City FC manager concluded.

The crux, thus, is pretty clear – attention to detail, consistency, continuity and the confidence that his methods will work. Credit must also be given to Mumbai City FC for bestowing such faith on Buckingham, who lest we forget, had not managed in the ISL before this gig. It could have been very easy for Mumbai City FC to look past him, considering they failed to qualify for the semi-finals last season and had won the double in the campaign that preceded it.

But they didn't. And now, they are reaping the rewards. Funnily enough, Buckingham follows Arsenal keenly in the Premier League, making this story even more incredible. Just like he has been given time to get his message across, Mikel Arteta was also backed to mould the team to his liking.

The result?

Well, both Arsenal and Mumbai City FC sit atop their respective leagues. And that is the major takeaway from this. Even when things weren't going their way, Buckingham and Mumbai City FC believed that this was the right way forward. Now that everything is falling in place, there's no reason to not believe in it. Even if things go slightly awry, they now know that trust does lead to tangible results, and that in Buckingham, they have a manager who could rewrite the ISL history books.

In a nutshell, the propensity to not settle for less, keep dreaming and still not lose track of what is there right in front, has become the Buckingham and Mumbai City FC style of playing. Keep doing something so often that it becomes routine. And in their case, do it so often that it also becomes quite successful.

In the ISL, where things change at the drop of a hat, this is very difficult and very uncommon, especially for someone who has only spent a season and a bit in charge. But then again, Buckingham is not any common manager. There was a reason he was brought into Mumbai City FC. The club hierarchy (the City Football Group) knew all along. It is just that thousands of football fans in India can also testify to it now.