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What's the story?
With the Indian Super League kicking off later today with a repeat of last year’s final, football fans around the nation are in a for a treat. NorthEast United missed out on a semi-final spot by a whisker in the last two seasons after making consistent starts.
Though they have a pretty good squad, forward Holicharan Narzary does not feel that they have a good chance of making it to the last 4 in the upcoming ISL season.
In case you didn't know
NorthEast United are owned by Bollywood actor John Abraham and have a huge following as they represent 8 states from that region, namely, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Mizoram. The management had roped in Portuguese coach Joao Carlos Pires de Dues earlier this year.
The heart of the matter
NorthEast United’s striker Holicharan Narzary and their coach interacted with the media after practice. When Halicharan was asked whether they had any chance of winning of the ISL, he said nothing, and just shook his head in denial.
Interestingly, just a few moments later, after being nudged by one of the NEUFC officials, he corrected his earlier statement saying, "We will try to make the playoffs this season, and then take things forward from there."
What's next?
NorthEast United FC will begin their ISL campaign tomorrow against debutants Jamsehdpur FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati. Playing for the first time in the competition, all eyes will on the two Latin American forwards, Brazilian Danilo and Colombian Luis Paez. With the tournament expanded, the consistency will be the key factor for a successful campaign this season.
Author's take
Though NorthEast United FC do not have the best team on paper, they have the capability to turn the tables. Seminlen Dounglel and Holicharan Narzary are both hard-working players and have been playing in the I-League for a long time. Robert Lalthlamuana and Nirmal Chettri will add the much-needed strength at the back. Their goalkeeper TP Rehenesh is also a player to look out for. He is also the most capped player for the ISL outfit with 27 starts in the last 3 seasons.
