I-League: Gokulam, turning it on and turning it around
After a shambolic start to their I-league debut season in which they won only one of their first nine matches, the Kozhikode-based club have bounced back strongly, registering victories in five of their last six matches.
Created - 6 years ago
KOCHI: A small number of travelling fans from Kolkata came to Kozhikode last Saturday to cheer for East Bengal in their away game against Gokulam Kerala FC. But the Kolkata giants went down to the I-league debutants without even offering a proper fight. The result flustered the Kolkatan fans and they vented their ire against the players and support staff forcing East Bengal coach Khalid Jamil and Alvito de Cunha to leave the stadium through the back gate.
But when Gokulam players came out of the stadium, the same set of East Bengal fans greeted them with a loud cheer and congratulated them on their victory. It was a clear indication that in a matter of weeks, Gokulam had started winning the hearts of football fans across the country, not just that of Keralites.
After a shambolic start to their I-league debut season in which they won only one of their first nine matches, the Kozhikode-based club have bounced back strongly, registering victories in five of their last six matches. Their only defeat in this period came against NEROCA FC as they beat Chennai City, Shillong Lajong, the two Kolkata powerhouses Mohun Bagan and East Bengal and Minerva FC in a series of stunning results.
“Gokulam played well and worked very hard. They played as a team. They deserved the victory,” Jamil, who won the I-league title with Aizawl FC last season, said in his effusive praise of their rivals. In fact, Jamil was not the only one to praise Gokulam’s efforts. “I’ve watched Gokulam several times. They have a good combination and they play with all their heart,” Mohun Bagan coach Sankarlal Chakraborty said of I-League’s new entrants.
But this was not the scenario a couple of weeks ago. Gokulam were struggling to even threaten their rival goal and could only score three goals from their first eight matches.
Even though the management were willing to spend money on players, Gokulam could not find quality foreigners for their debut season. Their foreign signing, Odafa Okolie, didn’t measure up to expectations prompting the team management to look out for new players. Desperate for better results, the management signed Henry Kisekka from Uganda and Kivi Zhimomi from Nagaland in the January transfer window. The arrival of the two has transformed the entire Gokulam side and from the bottom-placed team to the sixth spot in the league.
Coach Bino George’s in-depth knowledge of Kerala football and his willingness to promote local talent have come in handy for Gokulam. The best example is 21-year old Arjun Jayaraj, who scored the winner against Shillong Lajong and paved the way for the winning goal against East Bengal. “The coach asked me to play my natural game. Against Shillong, he asked me to use my pace to get past the defenders and that’s what I did. I’m just following his instructions,” said Arjun who hails from Manjeri and was part of the MSP HSS team, who went down to Dynamo Kiev in the final of Subroto Cup in 2012.
Bino’s tactical decisions too have played a crucial role in team’s transformation. “I knew that it was important to keep East Bengal left-back Yami Longvah silent if we wanted to win. So I asked our wing-back Mohammed Irshad to make as many raids and overlap along the wing. The plan worked as Yami was busy in defending Irshad and couldn’t find enough space for a counter-attack,” said Bino on his team’s winning mantra against East Bengal.
Gokulam may be already out of contention for the title but are now the most feared team in the league and are in a position to dictate terms on who wins I-League title this season.
But when Gokulam players came out of the stadium, the same set of East Bengal fans greeted them with a loud cheer and congratulated them on their victory. It was a clear indication that in a matter of weeks, Gokulam had started winning the hearts of football fans across the country, not just that of Keralites.
After a shambolic start to their I-league debut season in which they won only one of their first nine matches, the Kozhikode-based club have bounced back strongly, registering victories in five of their last six matches. Their only defeat in this period came against NEROCA FC as they beat Chennai City, Shillong Lajong, the two Kolkata powerhouses Mohun Bagan and East Bengal and Minerva FC in a series of stunning results.
“Gokulam played well and worked very hard. They played as a team. They deserved the victory,” Jamil, who won the I-league title with Aizawl FC last season, said in his effusive praise of their rivals. In fact, Jamil was not the only one to praise Gokulam’s efforts. “I’ve watched Gokulam several times. They have a good combination and they play with all their heart,” Mohun Bagan coach Sankarlal Chakraborty said of I-League’s new entrants.
But this was not the scenario a couple of weeks ago. Gokulam were struggling to even threaten their rival goal and could only score three goals from their first eight matches.
Even though the management were willing to spend money on players, Gokulam could not find quality foreigners for their debut season. Their foreign signing, Odafa Okolie, didn’t measure up to expectations prompting the team management to look out for new players. Desperate for better results, the management signed Henry Kisekka from Uganda and Kivi Zhimomi from Nagaland in the January transfer window. The arrival of the two has transformed the entire Gokulam side and from the bottom-placed team to the sixth spot in the league.
Coach Bino George’s in-depth knowledge of Kerala football and his willingness to promote local talent have come in handy for Gokulam. The best example is 21-year old Arjun Jayaraj, who scored the winner against Shillong Lajong and paved the way for the winning goal against East Bengal. “The coach asked me to play my natural game. Against Shillong, he asked me to use my pace to get past the defenders and that’s what I did. I’m just following his instructions,” said Arjun who hails from Manjeri and was part of the MSP HSS team, who went down to Dynamo Kiev in the final of Subroto Cup in 2012.
Bino’s tactical decisions too have played a crucial role in team’s transformation. “I knew that it was important to keep East Bengal left-back Yami Longvah silent if we wanted to win. So I asked our wing-back Mohammed Irshad to make as many raids and overlap along the wing. The plan worked as Yami was busy in defending Irshad and couldn’t find enough space for a counter-attack,” said Bino on his team’s winning mantra against East Bengal.
Gokulam may be already out of contention for the title but are now the most feared team in the league and are in a position to dictate terms on who wins I-League title this season.
Featured Video
