“No I am not a kid,” Danu shakes his head. Boris Singh, standing next, puts his hand on his shoulder. Danu smiles again. “No I am not a kid.”

The average age of the probables in the ongoing India U-23 National Team Camp in Goa is 19 years and 4 months, with Danu being the youngest. Indian Football has grown young.

“I understand this is a U-23 Camp for the Indian National Team. Some of the seniors have already played for India, even in the Asian Cup. This is the best moment of my life,” Danu narrates. “But I am not a kid,” he reiterates. “I watch the Seniors on TV play for India regularly. I need to pinch myself that I am here.”

Head Coach Derrick Pereira, a former India International leans back on his chair, and smiles. “We have to look at younger players. We need to look at the future. This camp will help them believe they can make it to the top level,” he mentions in reference to the players from Indian Arrows in the Camp.

There are 9 boys from the Indian Arrows who have been summoned to the Camp. 8 of the probables have played in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, all of them have been part of the AIFF Youth Development set-up.

You glance through the list and discover that there are 19 boys in the camp who have been products of the AIFF YDP some time or the other.

“We always kept a tab on the Indian Arrows. They have made a mark, scored goals, won hearts. They deserve the call up,” Pereira adds.

At a distance, you spot Danu and Amarjit Singh flipping through the pages of a magazine.

“We have struggled a lot, and made a lot of sacrifices in our lives. At an age where all other kids are pampered, we have stayed away from our parents,” Amarjit, who captained India in the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 murmurs. “The journey in Arrows has made us stronger. We have stood by each other all throughout,” he stresses.

Assistant Coach Shanmugam Venkatesh, a former Indian National Team Captain glances at the road outside. “There was a football jam the day we returned winning the Federation Cup for Salgaocar FC,” his eyes lit up. “As we were paraded, all I could see was hordes of heads. Goa had come to a standstill,” he recollects.

“But Indian Football has moved a long way forward. The emphasis on youth is one of the most positive traits. The modern day game demands energy, fitness, strength.”

Amarjit maintains “playing in the U-17 World Cup was a dream for all of us.”

“But we cannot rest on that laurel. The target is now to move to the senior National side. It doesn’t matter to me whether I get selected into the final 23 or not. Getting a call up is a big thing for me,” he states. “Training with senior team players will make me stronger as a player. I get to work with the senior team staff.” Danu nods.

At the training session, Danu does a dummy to catch his marker unaware. As his marker recovers and chases, you couldn’t miss that unmistakable stance, soaked both in amazement and appreciation for the ‘kid.’

Indian Football is getting younger!

AIFF MEDIA

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Under Alison Kharsyntiew, Shillong, who opted for youth as against foreign recruits this season, find themselves at the bottom of the 11-team league. They have suffered nine losses and have conceded a whopping 33 goals so far – the highest in the league!

Their only win (against Aizawl in October 2018) seems like ages ago. Shillong have been on the receiving end of two 6-1 drubbings this season – a fact which highlights their predicament.

They also had lost their previous away game against Arrows. Arrows, on the other hand, have been impressive throughout with the team seemingly hungry for success. Of course credit must go to coach Floyd Pinto for shaping a resilient and competitive side.

Also the inclusion of U-16 youngsters Vikram Pratap Singh and Rohit Danu has given them the much needed attacking zest to blend in with their organised defence and midfield.

“Shillong Lajong play good attacking football. Any game between the two elite youth clubs is going to be tough. Both the teams will be giving their 100 per cent. We scored in our last game but it was pretty close. Our aim will be to get the three points. The game tomorrow will be totally different because both the teams are having young players. These kinds of matches give them a platform to play with good players and bigger football clubs,” said Pinto.

Arrows have beaten the likes of Aizawl, Gokulam and Shillong and have given the stronger teams (read: East Bengal and Minerva Punjab) a run for their money. Shillong too have had their positives. They have scored 13 goals to Arrows’ five — a fact which showcases their attacking prowess.

Midfielder Phrangki Buam —  one of the finds of the season — is among the highest scorers in the league with four goals. Shillong’s young brigade will be wanting to avenge their previous loss to Arrows on Sunday.

Kharsyntiew was optimistic about his team’s chances at the pregame press conference: “We have scored 13 goals and conceded 33. The most important thing for the boys is to attack in the defence. If our defence is good we can defeat any team. The boys are ready for tomorrow’s match they will go all out and give their 100 percent. The players have worked really hard in the training and our aim is to get the three points. Indian Arrows is a good team they have good players like Boris. Their game is very intense with immense speed, our defence and mid field have to cope up to their speed.”

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The Kolkata giants are unbeaten in four games. The hosts on the other hand went down narrowly to Churchill Brothers in their last fixture. But then Arrows have also picked up seven points from their last four games.

Arrows have upset a few big names this season — a fact which Bengal’s Spanish coach Alejandro Garcia cannot ignore. His team simply cannot afford an off-day against this opposition.

Garcia utilized the January transfer window and brought in Toni Dovale (from Cyprus) to strengthen the attack. He also reined in Manipuri midfielder Siam Hanghal on a loan deal.

Jobby Justin (six goals) is the player to watch out for Garcia’s team. His combination with Jamie Colado and Laldanmawia Ralte may cause Arrows problems.

“First, we must respect the Arrows team. We know that it won’t be an easy match for us and we will try to win and we have to be very competitive and do all the things we have prepared for. If we win, we will be at the top in this league,” said Garcia on ‘complacency’.

Arrows on the other hand have stood out with their rhythm and pace. Rohit Danu, the India U-16 recruit, is their player to watch out for. The senior players — Rahul KP, Amarjit Kiyam and Boris Singh — have also done well for Floyd Pinto’s team.

“Like every match, we have prepared ourselves to be in our best possible condition and the last four games went really well. There are a lot of factors for tomorrow’s game. East Bengal are well rested and got some new players. It will be interesting to see what combination we can put in and how the boys tackle the new East Bengal,” said Pinto.

This young Arrows outfit has a tough task at hand as Garcia’s team may go all out. A win will take Bengal to fourth in the league table. Also, Garcia’s team has a game in hand as compared to league leaders Chennai City FC.

Arrows, on the other hand, can be expected to put up a fight.

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The goal allowed Danu to become the youngest player (16 years, five months and 27 days) to score a goal in the I-League. The earlier record was held by Danu’s Indian Arrows teammate Jitendra Singh.

The win pushed Arrows to ninth place in the league table. Aizawl on the other hand slipped to 10th.

Though Aizawl started on an attacking note still Arrows, known for their rock-solid defence, stood up to their reputation.

The breakthrough came when Arrows mid-fielder Khumanthem Meetei played a superb pass from outside the box to Danu in the 14th minute. And the youngster scored!

Despite Aizawl’s repeated attempts for an equalizer the Arrows defence held firm.

Rochher Zella’s miss off an inch-perfect pass from Fanai was Aizawl’s best chance to score. And as the first half came to a close…Arrows led by a solitary goal.

Though Aizawl pressed hard in the second half the opposition defenders held firm. Credit to Arrows goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill for his numerous saves!

It may be noted that Arrows, for all of their defensive solidity, failed to double the lead. The second half was virtually a midfield battle which ended with Arrows grabbing a narrow 1-0 win.

Anwar Ali (Arrows) was named as the ‘Hero of the Match’.

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