In the ISL, players are driven to give it their all: Hussain PA, coach of Delhi FC

NEW DELHI: By moving up from the North Zone group in the Regional Qualifiers to the National Group Stage of the highest young level competition, Punjab FC and Delhi FC achieved their first significant milestone in the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) 2023–2024.

After both sides accomplished their goals, the coaches expressed gratitude for the exposure the tournament gives to their players. They also mentioned how beneficial it has been in helping them find new players and better prepare current players for the demands of senior team football.

Coach Praveen Kumar of Punjab FC expressed his satisfaction after his team’s 3-0 victory against AIPL FC in the Regional Qualifiers final match. Punjab FC finished the first round of the competition with 28 points out of a possible 30 points from 10 games. As one of the 20 teams, they will now compete for a coveted berth in the National Championship of the premier youth football event. “We are pleased that our team advanced to the competition’s next round. The top 20 teams in the country will compete, making it more intense. We want to maintain our level of competition in the regional qualifiers. It’s all about holistic growth for our players and our club, which includes learning how to win. Regarding the future direction of his squad, Punjab FC coach Praveen Kumar said, “We will represent the philosophy of the club.”
Coach Praveen expressed gratitude to the Reserve Football Division League (RFDL) for helping to bridge the gap between reserve team football and the Indian Super League (ISL). The league ensures that many young players receive competitive game time and helps them hone their skill sets before making the first team.
Praveen said that as they were the only ISL team from north India, they took advantage of the chance to play in the RFDL in order to scout possible players that they may be able to sign later on.Since there isn’t an official league for players in this age group, it’s a significant leap for any player to move from Reserve/U19 to our ISL squad for a club like us. By giving young players access to those vital competitive games, RFDL addresses the issue,” he said.
“We, as the only ISL club in north India, had a great opportunity to scout young players; there were good, talented young players in almost all the teams we faced,” he said.According to Hussain, PA, the RFDL has progressively developed into a trustworthy scouting tool that may assist clubs nationwide in expanding their network of people they can identify as potential players. Because so many players from that league are making their living in the RFDL, he even came up with a new name for the young development league: Mini ISL. He underlined the significance of maintaining the highest playing standards, pointing out that many players carry over routines from their youth to the senior squad level.
Players compete in 10 games on the RFDL, a large stage where they are highly driven to give it their all. It facilitates their acquisition of valuable playing experience. It’s the top young development league in the nation, in my opinion, and it provides players with an excellent opportunity to be scouted by ISL clubs or the national squad. Because several young ISL stars compete and play the whole tournament, it’s a mini-ISL in and of itself. In order to remain fresh and prepared to face the difficulties of the senior squad in the future, the young players need to maintain excellent playing standards,” he concluded.
Delhi FC will play with Punjab FC in the National Group Stage of the RFDL 2023–2024 as part of the North Zone. They managed an impressive 1-1 tie with Sudeva Delhi FC, the RFDL 2023 runners-up, but were unable to get beyond the first round this season. In the encounter, Sudeva’s Sridarth Nongmeikapam tied the score in the 74th minute after Delhi FC’s Akash Tirkey had taken the lead in the 14th. But the outcome was sufficient to help Delhi FC advance to the RFDL 2023–2024 quarterfinals.
“The competition was difficult, but we had a strategy in place from the start. We overcome obstacles by reviewing each match in the first leg and implementing our predetermined strategies in the second leg. “We comprehended their tactics, patterns, set-piece sequences, general advantages and disadvantages, and our strategies were executed effectively,” said Hussain PA, the coach of Delhi FC.
In the regional qualifiers, Coach Praveen also said that his players faced strong competition from a few teams in the North Zone. Although praising their tactical skill, he contended that his players’ approach had served them well in the previous ten games and that they should instead concentrate on completing their goals.
“We played several excellent teams in the early RFDL stages, like Delhi FC, Sudeva Delhi, Rajasthan United, and others, so we faced some tough opposition. They were competitive and had solid tactics, but for us, the most important thing was that our players grow and learn how to handle different scenarios throughout the game. We’re glad to report that they performed a respectable job coming up with a solution on their own,” he stated.
In order to put his side up early in the match against AIPL FC, captain Omang Dodum scored twice: first in the 35th minute and again in the first half’s extra time. Along with his brace, defender Aniket Yadav scored in the 38th minute. In their first competitive event since the club’s founding, AIPL placed sixth in the group.