Sven-Goran Eriksson to India? 5 managers who are a better fit for Indian football team

The talk of the next Indian national football team coach has once again gained momentum as a media report emerged on Monday stating that Swedish manager Sven-Gorn Eriksson is interested in managing the Blue Tigers. The former Manchester City and England national team coach would arrive with a bagful of experience to the Indian team, if appointed.

But considering a number of other factors, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) does have other better options to appoint the man to helm the side. Eriksson, with limited experience in Asian conditions, would take time to settle in India, which wouldn't be the best thing at the current situation.

With the Federation not in a hurry to appoint the new head coach, a thorough and detailed analysis is sure to be done before the official statements are aired out. Unconfirmed sources say the new manager will be announced only in mid-April.

Now, we take a look at 5 managers who are a better fit for Indian team taking into consideration the present scenario and the recent results of Indian football.

Special Mention: Fajr Ibrahim (Syria) - He comes with an enviable record and almost led Syria to the World Cup last year but Fajr Ibrahim has not coached anywhere outside Syria. Otherwise, the 54-year-old would have been a serious contender for the position.

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NEUFC, under Eelco Schattorie, have qualified for the playoffs, for the first time in the history of ISL.

#1 Eelco Schattorie (Netherlands)

Eelco Schattorie is one man who can apply for the job and almost be guaranteed of bagging it. The major advantage for the 47-year-old is his good acquaintance with Indian football.

Schattorie, who started his managerial career with Dutch club VVV-Venlo, first came to India for Prayag United in 2012. The 47-year-old was with Prayag until 2014 and later came back to the I-League to manage Kolkata giants East Bengal in 2015. Though he had mixed results throughout these days, the manager had a good relationship with the players.

A number of Indian players have played under the coach and his current stint with NorthEast United is the result of his previous hard work in the Indian soil. NEUFC have now qualified for the playoffs for the first time in the history of ISL. The excellent application of Indian players like Rowllin Borges and Reagan Singh has outlined his managerial skills.

Though he will be facing tough competition, Schattorie would be someone who can grace the hot seat and with the familiar conditions, might be able to leave a mark here.

India's goal-scoring woes would end with the appointment of Lobera.

#2 Sergio Lobera (Spain)

If attacking football is what India needs now, there would be no better option available than Sergio Lobera. Lobera is often considered as someone who has injected the much-needed Spanish attacking play into ISL.

Though coming with limited managerial experience, Lobera has proved his worth in India, from the 2 ISL seasons with FC Goa. Lobera has been able to guide Goa into the playoffs both these seasons. Also, the Spanish manager's club had the most goals scored in the 2017-18 season (42) and even this season, until now (35).

For the Gaurs, the 42-year-old has helmed in 34 games and won 16. With a good lineup of attacking players available for Indian recruit, including Ashique Kuruniyan, Lalrinzuala Chhangte and Udanta Singh, India's goal-scoring woes would end with the appointment of Lobera.

However, the coach still has a season left with the Goan outfit and it would be interesting to see whether he terminates his contract with Goa for the India job.

Pradyum Reddy is a good fit for the Indian football team

#3 Pradyum Reddy (India)

Over the last few years, we have not seen an Indian at the helm of the national team. But Pradyum Reddy is one who is a decent fit for the Indian football team gaffer position.

All of Reddy's coaching stints have been in India itself. He started out with Shillong Lajong, winning the I-League 2nd Division for the club and gaining promotion to I-League. Pradyum then was part of DSK Shivajians in 2013, before being the assistant to Ashley Westwood in Bengaluru FC. In 2017, he joined Pune City as an assistant coach and was appointed the interim head coach in the current season after Miguel Angel Portugal's sacking. He remained at the position till the December fixtures of Pune City this season.

At Pune City, the 42-year-old had 9 games out of which only 3 ended as victories. However, the 3 wins came in his last 5 outings. Keeping results aside, Reddy put up a show, better than average in fact, considering the pressure of taking over a side on a short notice. He made good use of his Indian players like Ashique Kuruniyan and Adil Khan.

Pradyum Reddy's long experience in Indian leagues and days with national team players like Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sunil Chhetri would be a great advantage.

#4 Antonio Habas (Spain)

Antonio Habas is a name that earned a brand in India at the very first season of ISL. After a successful campaign with ATK in 2014 and 2016, Habaz was on the radar for this job, for a long time.

The Spanish manager's tactics astonished Indian football when ATK lifted the cup in 2014. With an equal share in attack and defence, Habas would be the perfect man for the Indian job. After ATK, the 61-year-old was with Pune City in the 2016 season, but didn't have a good time as he could notch only 4 wins. However, Habas' disciplined managerial guidance would be something that can take Indian football to greater heights.

With a coaching career spanning over 26 years, Antonio Lopez Habaz will be bringing both experience and Spanish flavour to India. ISL has proved Indian players' quality in adapting to the Spanish style of game, which is wanted at the national team now.

Since leaving Pune City, Habas hasn't had a contract and would now be aiming a return for the seat in India.

Miroslav Soukup is the only name in the list without any prior experience in Indian football.

#5 Miroslav Soukup (Czech Republic)

Miroslav Soukup is the only name in the list without any prior experience in Indian football. But still, Indian fans would be familiar with the name because of India's recent participation in the Asian Cup - Soukup managed Bahrain.

Soukup, hailing from the Czech Republic, has been wearing the manager coat for 24 years now. With vast experience of coaching different clubs and national teams, the 53-year-old might look for a new test at India.

Soukup led the Czech Republic under-20 football team to the finals of 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is regarded as one of his biggest milestones. Since then, he has been to different parts of Asia, including Syria and Yemen, and has had good, memorable stints.

Soukup held the manager position of Bahrain in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and lead the team to the knockout stages for the first time since 2004. Even after a good tournament finish, he left Bahrain and is now available. This opens up the possibility of him taking over the Indian national team.