What Really Matters

Much is expected from the newly formed football league –Indian Super League (ISL) to rejuvenate the sport in India. Co-promoted by IMG-Reliance, Star India, celebrities from sports and Hindi film industry, this venture aims to nurture young talents. Earlier though, there were rumours that suggested, not all is well between Indian football governing body - All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) and the Indian Super League (ISL), because the owners of I-league clubs were against the idea of loaning out their players to ISL. However, it was put to rest when the new league was officially launched on October 21, by IMG- Reliance, Star sports and the AIFF.  ISL, consisting of eight franchises – Mumbai City FC, FC Pune City, Delhi Dynamos, FC Goa, Kerala Blasters FC, NorthEast United FC and Atletico de Kolkata, will play a minimum of 14 matches. The semi-final matches will be played on home and away basis. ISL franchises have landed number of European stars, which includes four...

With confirmed departure of defender Daniel Agger to his boyhood club Brondby, Liverpool are left with Dejan Lovren, Martin Skrtel, Mamadou Sakho, Kolo Toure and Sebastian Coates. It seems likely that Coates would be sent on loan. That leaves us with four centrebacks. It  is obvious that Lovren will lead the defence. Although I was very impressed with his performance last season for Southamton, but bringing him to fill Agger's shoes is not a smart move by Brandon Rodgers. Had he been brought as Kolo's replacement, I would have kept my mouth shut. Agger has lot more to offer than Toure, though latter is more experienced but he keeps making stupid mistakes. We all know what happened last season. Some of his defensive blunders was the reason behind LFC's defeat. These things happen but not on a regular basis. Agger was a reliable centreback. He keeps calm and plays possession based football. He has a rocket of a shot. He is one of the most talented ball playing football...

Italian striker Mario Balotelli, though controversial is a massively talented player. He has scored some amazing goals in Premier League and Serie A. He is person who hogs the limelight wherever he goes. For obvious reasons, his acquisition seemed like a big gamble by Brandon Rodgers. Balotelli's reputation for bad behaviour and indiscipline is widespread. He is someone who some managers deem unmanageable. His past record speaks for himself.  However, for Liverpool's manager who has successfully managed Luis Suarez, the troublesome striker, managing Mario Balotelli shouldn't be a difficult prospect. It is understood that Liverpool’s contract offer to Balotelli is expected to include clauses on conduct and behaviour that exceed standard practice. He will be under the supervision of a manager who tamed the wildest beast and brought best out them.  As for Balotelli, I believe he will achieve success in Anfield. He is quick, strong and clinical. A key member o...

 I am writing this post just for the sake of writing. I haven't written anything for a while now and I don't know why. Maybe i am suffering from writer's block. It is funny though as i don't consider myself a writer yet. I think I haven't written anything worthy enough which will put me in that category. There is always voice inside, whispering, 'you're not good enough' and it troubles me to a lot. I believe, satisfaction is what eludes me. Having said that, I find it extremely difficult to write something new and it bothers me immensely. Why is it so difficult to write something original and refreshing. I was told that a good reader is a good writer. However, in my experience, I have come across people who devour books but still write poorly. It gets really confusing at times. You feel like you are stuck. Anyways, who am i to judge. After-all, I am just a passerby who is looking for answers, wondering what will take to make mark in this field. Th...

I was in shock to see the result of the match. I couldn't believe what i saw. Not that I expected them to win but never in my wildest dream i expected them to go down this way. I thought a nation that lives and breathes football would atleast put up a fight but no, they didn't, there was no coordination or discipline. There were defensive lapses. Allowing the opposition's player to roam freely in the box cost them dearly. Running around aimlessly did not help their cause either. It was humiliating to watch the game after awhile. Not to take anything away from the winners but the losing team deserved what they got. For those don't know, I am talking about the FIFA World Cup Semi-final match between Germany and Brazil. The former annihilated the latter. The scoreline was 7-1. Yes, Germans scored seven goals against the team who were considered favourite to win this tournament. It was a stunning victory for Die Mannschaft. They were merciless in front of the goal and th...

It is hard to imagine that India, a country of over billion people, is not part of an event that has attracted viewers from across the world. We have failed to make an impact in the sport of football. We are not even on the map. Currently placed at 146 th  in the FIFA rankings, the future doesn’t look too bright either. The last time we qualified for the World Cup was in 1950. As the story goes, the players pulled out of the competition because they weren’t allowed to play barefoot. Now, with the tournament going on in Brazil and to see a fair share of Indian fans supporting other countries, donning jerseys of different nations, evokes variety of emotions. Most of us know the reasons why we have failed to produce world class football players. For those who don’t (I don’t think you are interested in knowing anyways). Still, these are some of the very basic reasons:   Poor infrastructure  – Just look at India football stadiums. It lacks basic amenities. Grounds ...