Hugo Boumous: A Frenchman well-equipped to power FC Goa's ISL conquest | ISL 2019-20 (Exclusive)

Back in February 2018, FC Goa plucked a relatively unheralded Frenchman from the footballing obscurity of Morocco, in a bid to strengthen a burgeoning campaign and accord the club’s fans another opportunity to revel in the extravagant brand of football they demanded.

Hugo Boumous, a midfielder, who had earlier plied his trade in Ligue 2, was brought on board by Sergio Lobera as the Spaniard hoped for the Frenchman to inject the requisite creativity and guile, something that Manuel Arana had failed to provide.

Boumous had an instant impact, thereby silencing several critics who believed that his acquisition was borne more out of chance than choice.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, the Frenchman opened up on the aspects that persuaded him to join FC Goa, that too during the winter transfer window. He said,

I was following FC Goa because I was with the coach [Sergio Lobera] in Morocco. I was interested to come here and play with Goa because they were playing good football and I was happy to join the side.

Since his debut for the Gaurs in the 2017-18 season, Boumous has gone from strength to strength. In fact, alongside Ferran Corominas, the midfielder has morphed into the one of the club’s most potent attacking weapons.

While he popped up with 3 goals and 5 assists in the 2018-19 campaign, he has bettered those numbers significantly in the current term, wherein he is averaging a goal involvement every 92 minutes.

Predominantly a No.10, Boumous boasts the capability of drifting between the lines and manufacturing space in midfield, even as a majority of the ISL teams look to compress the pitch. Unsurprisingly, the aforementioned element has become his USP, although that particular trait is something that has been ingrained into his system since his formative years.

It is my favourite position and that’s where I have been playing since I was young. I followed Iniesta and Zidane extensively because they play in a similar position. At Goa, the coach is asking me to do whatever I can and it’s great to know that I have his confidence so that I can make the link between the midfield and attack.

Zidane is one of Boumous' idols

To put things into perspective, the role the Frenchman performs enables the rest of his teammates to create instances of numerical superiority, especially when the former roams across the pitch and tries to capitalize on the opposition’s weaknesses, with respect to the space they leave unguarded.

I am always trying to have good combinations with the midfield, the striker and the wingers. I try to play crosses, build shooting opportunities and aid the midfield.

However, operating as the primary creative hub has its caveats too. At times, considering the impact such players might have, oppositions tend to chalk out elaborate plans to suffocate the supply line and consequently, create a situation where the attacking midfielder is starved of possession. Though the Frenchman acknowledged the challenges, he mentioned that he often tried to outwit the opposition.

Usually it is difficult to defend against the No.10 because he can go all over the pitch. I can be closer to the defence or be on the same line as the striker. So, I am always trying to make it as difficult for the opposition.

Additionally, courtesy the philosophy Lobera has been implementing, the Gaurs have portrayed an immense amount of flexibility and have shown the proclivity to interchange positions, meaning that Boumous & Co. have posed a new set of questions every time they have taken to the field.

Unsurprisingly, the Frenchman admitted that the time the squad had spent together and the concerted efforts it had been making to perfect the ideas contributed majorly in allowing them the adequate platform to bring the aforementioned concepts to the fore on match-days.

Thus, in terms of the attacking delicacies Goa have been serving up recently, it would take a brave man to bet against them going all the way in the ISL. And, there exists the small matter of the Gaurs also wanting to eradicate the demons of last season’s final, wherein they were pipped to the crown by Bengaluru FC.

Obviously, that motivation is there from the start and we are all working towards a common objective. We want to finish at the top of the table first and then win the trophy. There is no doubt that we have to be completely focused every day to achieve that to get the most points possible.

On being asked about how he expected the upcoming game against the Kerala Blasters to pan out, he quipped,

We know that every game in the ISL is not easy and it is very difficult to win any game against any team. And, if we are not at our 100% against Kerala, it would be tough for us.

Furthermore, there is another intriguing narrative weaved into the contest slated for Saturday. So far, FC Goa haven’t lost two games on the bounce in 2019-20, meaning that they’ve bounced back from the slight blips they’ve encountered.

Boumous and Coro have spearheaded FC Goa's charge

And, Boumous elaborated on how the side recovered from such setbacks, stating that the mentality in the dressing room was brilliant and that the team always took time out to analyse its own mistakes and then work out a plan to eradicate those errors, moving forward.

Hence, at least on paper and recent evidence, the Gaurs seem well-equipped to brush aside the loss to ATK and continue charting the upward curve that has become rather synonymous with the club.

Yet, when Boumous arrived, back in 2018, that wasn’t a trajectory that was discernibly visible, with Goa often accused of not blending style and substance adeptly.

With the Frenchman in their ranks though, they seem to have swatted aside the accusations of yesteryear and in the process, look primed to end their ISL hoodoo come March 2020.

After all, Boumous, an avid follower of Andres Iniesta and Zinedine Zidane, would want to emulate his heroes and power his side to a conquest, much like Iniesta and Zidane did countless times throughout their career.