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Eyes glistening, pupils dilating, words fumbling, and the innocence of infatuation overflowing - it's a sight to behold when people ramble on in pleasure about their object of desire. For Mumbai City's Petr Kratky, that desire often resides in nurturing and developing youth players and implementing holistic growth across any club he sets foot in.
It's been a week since the Islanders slipped on the final frontier in their ISL 2023-24 Shield defense. Mohun Bagan SG conjured some lethal attacking output to trump them with a 2-1 margin. But even as Mumbai were raging against time at the death, Kratky had plenty of time for his youngsters. The Czech threw on 23-year-old Valpuia and 20-year-old Gurkirat Singh into the mix, with his side still scrambling for a pathway into the clash.
Especially bringing off Jorge Pereyra Diaz, whose attacking acumen is challenged by only a few, for Gurkirat, highlighted Kratky's insurmountable trust in young Gurkirat. He had plenty of reason to as well. Mumbai are blessed with some of the most exciting raw talents. Previously, they had been criticized vehemently for their underutilization, but Kratky yearns to turn a corner with his bottom-up approach.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, which was conducted before Mumbai City's final matchday clash against Mohun Bagan, Kratky had deep-dived into his elaborate ideas to streamline youth development at the club.
"I was watching the U-19 game where we sent a couple of boys to play in the competition (RF Development League) that is going on around India. I'm very interested in that. We have conversations and presentations with academy coaches. We tried to bring them in line with the first team and I told them, 'I want connectivity and pathway for our players going through.' Because that's an area where we need to improve as a club and nation to create a clear pathway from the academy to the first team," he narrated.
But the current hierarchy put in place doesn't come without its challenges.
"What are the challenges there? For us, this is a U-19 competition, the last competition before the seniors, which I believe is a big gap. We have to somehow bridge the gap because even the Indian national team has a U-23 squad," Kratky elaborated.
Meanwhile, the underlying problem that trails along has previously been addressed by the national head coach Igor Stimac on multiple occasions. With every Indian Super League (ISL) club being a result-oriented affair, rather than risking and developing young players in crucial positions, the clubs have often opted for reliable overseas options.
Kratky doesn't shy away from underlining the obvious, saying:
"I'm looking forward to giving them the opportunity. But the challenge we face as coaches is that it is position-specific, as in positions they can play. A lot of positions in the middle of the park are occupied by foreigners in the ISL."
"We want to develop a Number 9, like Ayush (Chhikara) or Gurkirat (Singh). We want to develop a Number 6 as maybe Franklin (Nazareth) or Vinit (Rai). But this is harder in such positions because of the foreigners playing in the ISL, not just within our club but everywhere else. We need to focus not just on the wide areas but everywhere else on the pitch," the head coach asserted.
But where does the solution lie? Well, Kratky believes if youngsters are brought to pace through multiple age-group competitions before stepping up to the senior team, the transition will become exceedingly smoother.
"The offseason is important for us. The RFDL or wherever else we can play them, whether it's some friendlies within the season or like we did in the Kalinga Cup. We have to give them an opportunity and then it's up to them. What we are already doing in Mumbai is individual development plans," he explained.
Players need to consistently show us their good: Petr Kratky discusses the habit of overrating youngsters
There's a definite reason for picking Petr Kratky's brain on everything youth development. The Czech Republican started as a coach of Melbourne City's youth side before being promoted to the role of assistant coach for the seniors. With years of experience in nurturing youngsters, Kratky has a critical understanding of a starlet's mindset.
During the interaction with Sportskeeda, he chimed in on a conversation initiated by Manolo Marquez and Juan Pedro Benali regarding the overbearing habit of shining the blinding spotlight on starlets, dangerously pumping up their egos and threatening to derail their careers.
"We have to be careful how we do it with the young ones because we don't want to turn their heads into believing they're good footballers when they're just starting. This has to be balanced, also letting them know when they do the right things. You have a good game, but that's fine. Now it's about consistency," he stated.
"As coaches or media, we have to always be careful when we pump up young players, their heads don't become big and agents start selling them as the best players. Players need to consistently show us their good not just maybe one or two games," Kratky added.
But when you have a coach who has been exposed to Indian football for a little over a quarter of a year, there's a possibility of unearthing their unadulterated judgment of where upcoming players in the country stand. Kratky panegyrized about the ethos and work rate of the local players, however, when questioned about their shortcomings, he presented a nuanced take.
"With the young Indian players, I think it's more about the technical and tactical ability and the football knowledge. The funny part is when I'm training with them, I observe how they think and at times, there is just some information missing. It's not their fault, but something is missing somewhere in the line of development," he said.
"Then I try to work with them and within two weeks, they improve dramatically. That's what I love about the local players. That's why I reflect on academies and invite all academic coaches to have conversations. If we give them the correct information, these players will grow," the Mumbai coach averred.
Even amidst the outstanding challenges, Petr Kratky remains hopeful and excited at the opportunity of nurturing these burgeoning talents of tomorrow.
"I'm excited because the potential is massive, I see the growth in some players within a couple of weeks or months," he concluded with a smile.
For Kratky, his stewardship is not merely about sculpting players; it's about fostering an ecosystem where raw potential blossoms into seasoned prowess. Having his fresh and vivid understanding of this whole system incorporated into Mumbai City could spur their project, well beyond numbers and silverware.
