Stability in managment has helped us come through difficult times, says Arthur Papas

Dempo Sc’s head coach Arthur Papas

For Dempo SC, the New Year definitely seems to have brought some good fortune! After finishing as the semi-finalist at the Federation Cup, the golden eagles came out as a team with renewed spirits as the team went up one notch with its third win in as many games in the second phase of the I-League.

Sportskeeda caught up with its gaffer to know what has changed in 2014 for a club which is once again on its way to becoming the power house in Indian football

Experts

1. It’s been just three games, but the new signings in the form of Sanju Pradhan, Tolgay Ozbey and Zohib Amiri are proving too be an inseparable part of Dempo’s playing XI. Your thoughts on the performance of these players in the last two games.

Arthur: I am pleased with the impact of all three signings, from the time they joined us for the Federation Cup till their performances at the I-League. They have added positively both on and off the field and although it is still early, I am hopeful that they can continue to improve and provide us a reason to continue with them into the next season.

2. Though it might be quite early to ascertain the team’s performance, but in the second phase of the I-League, Dempo SC has come out as a team with rejuvenated spirits. What has been the primary reason for this transformation in the team?

Arthur: According to me, the main reason is the stability our Chairman, Mr Shrinivas Dempo, provides with. He could easily have panicked earlier as it hasn’t been a smooth ride but in saying that fundamental transformation never is a smooth ride and you must be willing to navigate the ups and downs and not lose focus on your objectives. Technically, having a stable training period from just prior to the Federation Cup and then leading into the second phase of the I-League is one of the critical factors when I assess the on-field situation.

Also,the advantage of having a united & harmonious squad who are working together to improve the club’s fortunes cannot be underestimated. We may still have our ups and downs for the remainder of the season but there is cause for optimism for the future and I have a lot of confidence in the playing group and the way we are all working towards sustaining this improvement.

3. In the I-League, Dempo SC is the team which features the maximum number of U-23 players in the playing XI. Any particular reason behind this trend.

Arthur: When I entered into a contract with the club, I saw that in the previous season it had finished the 2012/13 season with only one win in the final half of the season which came as a bit of shock, added to which the squad was no longer working in a harmonious state. Therefore, my directive was to refresh the squad and identify the top talents in the country to begin an important transformation.

Also, apart from identifying top talents, there wasn’t a clear pathway for the top talents within our own club. So we made a joint decision to use the Goa League as a platform for these talents to gain valuable match experience as training in a first team is not going to be enough to develop these players. What’s been the most pleasing part of this season is that many of these young talents have improved beyond my expectations and are now either playing in the I-League or featuring in the squad regularly.

Though the idea is not to generate competion, it has to be made clear about who can field the most U23 players. Opportunities that have come to our young players is because we believe they are showing the correct mentality, improvement and desire to be professionals for Dempo SC.

4. It’s been quite some time that you have been associated with Indian football. How would you examine the quality of football prevalent in India?

Arthur: Having been in India for two years now I think there is still a very long way to go for the country to begin competing even on a National level in the Asian Confederation. There is not enough investment or work being done with the youth development, and so it is impossible as a country to improve unless this becomes a priority and is not just masked to satisfy the AFC club licensing criteria. I would like to remain optimistic that this will improve but when you have been exposed to the neighbouring countries you realise what is happening there, and happening much quicker than it is in India.

Also published on Loudspeaker