In the last of our Indian football awards series for this year, we look at the men on the touchline. The men who make the goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards what they are on the pitch. There have been some wonderful results for Indian teams this year, not least Bengaluru FC’s wonderful run to the finals of the AFC Cup.
Also read: Sportskeeda Indian Football Awards: Top 10 Indian forwards of 2016
The voting by fans
We sent out a poll for fans to vote on which Indian manager had the best year, and Sportskeeda experts also weighed in on the matter. The one with the highest vote received 10 points and the one with the lowest got 1 point. The scores from Sportskeeda’s list and the Reader’s choice are then added together, with an average score being taken. In the situation of two players tied, Sportskeeda’s ranking takes preference. Here’s how our readers voted:
Here are the rankings after Sportskeeda experts’ choices were also taken into consideration:
#10 Nelo Vingada
The veteran Portuguese manager took NorthEast United as close as they had got to the knockout stages of the ISL in the three years of their existence. NorthEast played some fantastic football but just did not last the distance in a lot of games.
The Highlanders got off to a flying start with two straight wins, as their defenders stood tall. Throughout the season, NorthEast defended really well but sometimes conceded silly goals or made individual errors to lose points.
Regular injuries didn’t help Vingada’s cause either. At different points of the season, NorthEast lost Emiliano Alfaro, Nico Velez and Holicharan Narzary, which meant that Vingada had to dig deep into his resources.
But not having those first-choice players eventually hurt Vingada’s and NorthEast’s cause as they fell short by a whisker after losing to Kerala on the final day of the season.
#9 Nicolai Adam
The manager of India’s U-17 team has done a brilliant job this year with the young group of boys at his disposal. The Indian colts didn’t win too many games this year, but they showed enough signs of promise to encourage fans ahead of next year’s Under-17 World Cup that is to be held in India.
Adam has been instrumental in the way players like Boris Singh, Komal Thatal, Aman Chhetri and Aniket Jadhav have developed. India haven’t won too many games, yes, but they have competed in almost every game that they have played in.
The colts played 20 matches this year, and they played it in different conditions, which is ideal practice for them ahead of the big tournament next year.
Adam knows that there are challenges that lie ahead – for example, the fitness and endurance of the players. Especially in the AFC U-16 championships, India dominated the first half of games only to fade away in the second, with their batteries being completely exhausted.
But what is football without challenges? Adam knows it is going to be difficult, but these are challenges he has welcomed to make the team better and maybe make them get a result or two at the World Cup next year.
#8 Alexandre Guimaraes
Mumbai City FC had not made the knockouts in the first two years of the ISL. They finished 7th in both the seasons and never threatened the top teams. Till their last game of ISL 2015, they hadn’t won a single away game.
So, for the Costa Rican, Guimaraes, it was a tough challenge to walk into. But he came in and changed most things at Mumbai. The squad this year was almost unrecognisable from what it was last year and the football certainly was.
Mumbai conceded eight goals in 14 games of the league stage and very rarely looked threatened by any team. That, in no small part, is down to the excellence of Guimaraes. He brought in players like Lucian Goian and Krisztian Vadocz who formed the spine of the team and that spine was as solid as any other in the ISL.
Mumbai eventually lost in the semifinal to Atletico de Kolkata but Guimaraes’s set-up in both games cannot be questioned. That is because Mumbai scored two goals in the away leg and they would have fancied scoring the goals to beat Kolkata at home.
At home too, they were set up perfectly, but they missed a few gilt-edged opportunities to exit the tournament that they had so dominated. Also, Diego Forlan’s suspension because of the red card he picked up in the first leg was a massive blow to Mumbai.
#7 Gianluca Zambrotta
Delhi were the most watchable side in the ISL. There is absolutely no question about that. Zambrotta, the Italian legend, got his team playing the right brand of football and it showed on the league table, as Delhi finished only behind Mumbai on the table.
Zambrotta also used the Indian members of his squad better than most other ISL managers this year. This was a breakout season for Kean Lewis, who started most games on the left wing. Players like Milan Singh, Chinglensana Singh and Soram Poirei were also put into the side by Zambrotta and he gave them a consistent run of games too, which would have done their confidence worlds of good.
Delhi, like Mumbai, could and probably should have won their semifinal. After losing 1-0 at Kerala in the first leg, they had a 2-1 lead in the second leg, and then went on to miss a flurry of chances that could have finished the game. Instead, the tie went to penalties and Florent Malouda and Bruno Pelissari horribly missed their spot kicks to put Delhi out.
But thanks to Zambrotta’s style that he imposed on his team, one could say that most people would pay to watch Delhi play. They were led by the amazing Marcelinho – who scored 10 goals in the league, as they were unlucky to bow out in the lottery that is a penalty shootout.
#6 Stephen Constantine
The manager of the senior national side has had a decent year. It started in the best way possible, with India winning the SAFF Cup with a 2-1 extra-time win over Afghanistan.
But, having already been knocked out of contention, India lost their last two games in the World Cup qualifiers – 3-0 to Iran and 2-1 against Turkmenistan. That was followed by the national team playing four more games in 2016, and they won all four.
India beat Laos over two legs in an AFC Asian Cup preliminary qualifier, winning 1-0 away before a thumping 6-1 win in Guwahati. They beat Bhutan 3-0 in an unofficial friendly before they played Puerto Rico in a FIFA-recognized friendly.
That was a big game since it was one of those rare occasions when India got to face non-Asian opponents. And they delivered a fabulous performance in the first-ever international match at the Mumbai Football Arena. Indian won with goals from Narayan Das, Sunil Chhetri, Jeje Lalpekhlua and Jackichand Singh that helped the Blue Tigers come from behind to beat the North American side 4-1.
Constantine would also be pleased with the fact that many youngsters made their bows for the country and did reasonably well. Chinglensana Singh, Germanpreet Singh and Vinit Rai were all given their debuts while others like Holicharan Narzary and Rowllin Borges firmly established themselves as regulars in the national side.
#5 Sanjoy Sen
The manager of Mohun Bagan had a successful year, by most measures. Bagan finished second in the I-League, won the Federation and had a respectable Round of 16 finish in the AFC Cup.
His year started off on a bad note, though, as he was reprimanded and banned by the AIFF for questioning Mohun Bagan’s I-League schedule – as their fixtures had to be adjusted in light of them playing their AFC Champions League qualifiers.
The rescheduling meant that Bagan had to play a few games on dates that FIFA had assigned for international fixtures – which meant they had to lose Sony Norde, one of their most influential players.
But on the pitch, Bagan had a great year, even though they didn’t win the I-League. They beat Bengaluru FC in both their fixtures this year, and they were left ruing their performances against the lower-ranked sides.
Bagan won the Federation Cup, beating Aizawl FC in the final. In the AFC Cup as well, Bagan had more points in their group than Bengaluru managed in theirs. But when the big day arrived, they couldn’t keep their wits about themselves against Tampines Rovers as they conceded in the 118th minute to bow out of the competition.
2016 was mostly a year of so near, yet so far for Bagan and Sanjoy Sen will be hoping that 2017 is the year his side takes that extra step.
#4 Steve Coppell
The Kerala Blasters manager saw his side overcome a poor start to reach the ISL final.
What changed it for Coppell was that he finally found a formula, a set of players who started every game – a set of players who could win Kerala matches. It was a challenge for him to find goalscorers. Kerala had scored only four goals in their first seven games. They scored 12 goals in their next 10 games. And in those 10 games, Kerala only conceded six goals.
Coppell was helped in no small measure by CK Vineeth returning from AFC Cup action with Bengaluru FC to lift Kerala. The man from Kannur scored six goals in the ISL, and it would be fair to say that Coppell depended more on Vineeth than any other individual in his side.
But the experience of Aaron Hughes and Cedric Hengbart was also pivotal for Kerala. In all, Coppell had the personnel in his side and it was his courage to play some over the others that lifted Kerala. For example, Michael Chopra was struggling to make any sort of impression and Coppell did not hesitate to drop him from the side.
His extreme knowledge about his own team and what would serve the team’s needs the best was central to Kerala’s success.
#3 Jose Molina
Antonio Habas won the ISL in the first season and took Atletico de Kolkata to the semifinal last year. But Kolkata had their bases covered with the appointment of Jose Molina. The Spaniard had won the treble in Hong Kong with Kitchee before the switch to Kolkata.
But Kolkata did not look any different with the change in manager. That was largely down to the fact that they kept the spine of the squad that played under Habas.
Also, Molina’s style has not been too different from what Habas had employed. Kolkata still kept possession as much as possible, they still moved the ball around patiently and were never in a hurry, much like it was in the first two years.
For Molina, the biggest advantage was that the core of the squad was Spanish-speaking, ensuring that he could bed in seamlessly.
That ensured that the side, despite not winning too many games as such, could win the league. Also, Molina’s encouragement of the youngsters in the squad was plain to see. Players like Bidyananda Singh, Abinash Ruidas and Prabir Das played significant parts in Kolkata’s challenge and Molina was to be complimented for putting his faith in those youngsters.
#2 Albert Roca
The Spaniard took charge of Bengaluru FC at the end of the I-League season, and his only commitment in 2016 was the AFC Cup knockout rounds. Bengaluru were in the quarterfinals when Roca took over and it was a challenge for him.
They played Tampines Rovers in the quarter-finals and the home leg was especially testing. Bengaluru had to play at home, but without the support of their adoring fans as the unrest in the city meant the game had to be played behind closed doors.
But they played Tampines out of the park. They should have scored more than just the one CK Vineeth goal that went in, but it was a terrific performance. In the second leg, Bengaluru were professional and stayed organised in defence to get a 0-0 draw.
But the semifinal performances were the biggest credit to Roca’s influence on the side. In Malaysia against Johor Darul Ta’zim, Bengaluru delivered a fabulous team performance. They pressed high up the field, the midfielders were energetic and Juanan and John Johnson commanded the defence pretty well. When all that was beaten, Amrinder Singh had a majestic game in goal behind them.
Eugeneson Lyngdoh came up with a piledriver of a goal to give Bengaluru a priceless away goal and the draw. At the Kanteerava Stadium, Roca took the call to put Sunil Chhetri on the left wing and put Lyngdoh central to maximise his influence on the game. And both of them responded with big performances as Bengaluru ran out 3-1 winners.
The final was a bridge too far, but there was enough in the campaign for the players and Roca to be immensely proud of.
#1 Ashley Westwood
Our Indian manager of the year is the man who started the job for Roca to finish. Westwood was Bengaluru’s manager from their inception until the end of the last I-League. In those three years, he won them two I-League titles.
This year, nothing came easy for Bengaluru. They were always playing catch-up in the I-League, with their game in hand. But, as the tournament approached its business end, they hit their stride as the big players began to stand up and be counted.
Their form was so good that they wrapped up the title with one game to spare, in a fantastic season for them.
Even at the halfway stage of their AFC Cup campaign, Bengaluru were struggling. They had only won one game, having lost to Lao Toyota away and to Johor at home. But in their last three games, they won two, beating Lao and Ayeyawady United at home to book their place in the qualifiers.
If Bengaluru FC are where they are today, Ashley Westwood deserves a huge amount of credit as a lot of this current adulation that the club are getting are his doing.
