ISL 2020-21 | Indian footballers are desperate to learn new concepts, admits Khalid Jamil
Northeast United FC interim coach Khalid Jamil claimed that Indian footballers are eager and desperate to learn new concepts, with him working with many footballers this season. The Indian manager is a former I-League winning coach with Aizawl FC, having won the trophy back in the 2016-17 season.
When Khalid Jamil was inducted as the interim head coach of Northeast United FC this season, the team was struggling to get a win. But, Khalid’s appointment changed the scene altogether, with them going on a winning spree and eventually making it to the play-offs. Having worked with many Indians during the stint, the former I-League winning coach admitted that the Indian footballers are eager and desperate to learn new concepts.
“Any Indian player who comes to play through the I-League or the ISL, I have seen that he is desperate to learn. He is really eager to pick up new things, and if you teach him a good thing, a new concept, he is very receptive and takes it in quite happily. And that makes him come for more, an Indian player always hungers to learn more. Then there is hard work and Indian players are not afraid to put in the labour,” said Khalid Jamil, during an interview with The Times of India.
Ashutosh Mehta has been long associated with Khalid Jamil, since their Mumbai FC days in the I-League. On the other hand, youngsters like Lalengmawia have developed exponentially as a footballer under Khalid’s supervision. But he also feels that Indian footballers often lose confidence when they are not given enough playing time.
“The other aspect is confidence. You have to be mindful that if you don’t make him play regularly enough, the confidence tends to dip. As a coach, you have to tackle that, since they tend to lose patience quickly too. You have to explain why it is not being played and at the same time, keep their confidence high as well,” explained Jamil.