I’ve been playing with different players from different countries under different coaches and I think it’s growing in a good direction
After playing in Chennayin FC’s first match of the Indian Super League season-11 against Odisha FC on September 14, Mandar Rao Dessai, one of the most experienced players who has played in more than 150 ISL games, didn’t play in the remaining three games.
But when he got a chance to play against his former Club, FC Goa, where he played for six seasons, on October 24, the 32-year-old left-back put up a solid performance in the 90 minutes he played, justifying his selection, negating all the attacks emerging from Goa’s left flank. Chennaiyin went on to stage a fightback for a 2-2 draw on the day.
In an exclusive interview, Mandar speaks about playing for the Dempo SC junior team and three other ISL clubs (FC Goa, Mumbai City FC and East Bengal), the uniqueness of Chennaiyin’s head coach Owen Coyle and the need for the ISL and I-league clubs to have a solid grassroot structure. Excerpts:
You are among a handful of players who have played in all the 11 seasons of the Indian Super League. How do you see its growth ?
I’ve been playing with different players from different countries under different coaches. And I think it’s growing in a good direction. But also it helps us to grow as a player also especially ISL has helped all the domestic players to grow, where all the Indian players can look at foreigners while taking good examples from them.
Under their (foreign coaches) guidance, we are doing good and are growing. But at the same time, I think there should be more importance given to grass-roots.
How can ISL help in the grassroots or Indian football as such?
Yes, all the clubs, ISL clubs, also the clubs who are not part of the ISL should promote grass-root football. It’s very important to have a strong grassroot structure. If you see players from outside Asia or outside India, they mostly focus on the grassroot programmes.
And also they get the players to start training at the age of five- six years old. I think that’s the difference between us and the other countries. It is happening in India now. Kids should start at five or six years old. When we started, we were nine or 10 years of age.
Former great Zico was one of the foreign coaches at FC Goa (2014-16), we learn, gave you a lot of freedom. Also, tell us about the coaches who impressed you the most.
FC Goa’s head coach Zico gave me the chance in the very first season. And from there, my career started.
Was he the best coach you worked with?
All coaches are different, everyone has their own tactics, everyone has their own way of, approaching the players. I think all of them were almost the same.
Tell us about your relationship with FC Goa, a club you have played for six seasons. What does Goa mean to you?
Yes, I started my ISL career from Goa. So obviously, as a local home-boy from Mapusa, I think it was great for me to play for my home club. People really gave me good support there when I was there for the six years. It was a very important part of my career.
You are the first player to make 100 ISL appearances. You have won ISL title with Mumbai City in 2020-21 & ISL league Shield with Goa in 2019-20 and Super Cup with Goa in 2019. How do you see your career in ISL?
Winning trophies every year will be good for me, I think that’s very important.
Tell us about your long journey from Mapusa in Goa and the highs and lows?
Coming from a small town in Goa I have always been very passionate to play football. When I was in school. I used to go to watch games of Dempo SC in the I-league. I started my career from Dempo in u-18 age group and then joined the senior team. The coaches there also helped me a lot to grow as a player.
There were big-name players like Clifford Miranda, Samir Naik, Mahesh Gawli, Climax Lawrence, and many more who helped me to grow as a player. Ups and downs are always there in the career of a sportsman. But it’s up to you as to how you take it.
Can you pinpoint any major highs for you in your entire career, especially in the ISL?
The season with Mumbai City FC when we won the ISL League Shield and the ISL title in 2020-21, that was a good thing for us because winning both the trophies, the ISL Shield and the Trophy meant a lot. Because in that season, I think it was a bubble and because of COVID, there were only two trophies we could play. That was the ISL Shield and the ISL title and we won both of them to become the first ISL club to do so. Lows are always there. It’s difficult to overcome any losses. Sometimes when your team is not doing well, it’s very difficult. After winning the ISL Trophy with Mumbai City in the next season we did not qualify in the top four. It was disappointing for us because the previous season, we were the champions.
You started your career in Dempo. Do you think I-League has lost its prominence?
It’s a good thing that the champion of the I-League is promoted to the ISL. Because then you get a chance to prove your talent in ISL too. It’s like a promotion, and it is good for the I-League teams to concentrate, build a good base, Now, I-league has good players, good coaches because their aim is to play in the ISL. Of course, they have to bring good coaches and good players and a good set-up.
How much has the role of left-backs evolved over the time since you started playing in I-league?
I started as a left-winger. I used to play as a left-winger in Dempo and FC Goa. I played for six-seven years as a winger. It was my position because I never thought that I would play as a left-back. FC Goa’s head coach Sergio Lobera, in the first year, I played as a left wing. But the second year, he said that ‘I want you to play as a left full-back. You just need to have some defensive qualities. But in my team, I want you to play as an attacking full-back.’ So that was the change he brought in me. And I played under him for quite a long time (2017-’21) as a left full-back only. I joined the Indian team as a left full-back. When you are playing as a left winger it’s more of an attacking role. But as a left full-back, you are more focused on defending.
How has it been working with Chennaiyin’s head coach Owen Coyle?
He encourages not only the players who are playing but those who are not playing. That is the most important thing, I think. In the long run, I think it’s very important to have all the players in the right mentality and ready to play any moment. There might be a player who might not have got a chance to play, say in 10 games. And if he’s required in the 11th, he should be ready. Coyle is the same with the players who play and players who don’t play. He’s equal to everyone. That’s the most important thing which he is doing. He’s been very encouraging to the players even if the team is not doing well.
As a senior player with so much experience in ISL, how do you communicate with the coaches. You trust the coaches ideas completely every time or do you provide your inputs?
It’s not like, I have played so many years and I know everything. It’s a learning process each and every time I step on the field, even for training. Whatever the coach tells me I listen and give my point of view. It’s good that we discuss such kind of things. The coach sometimes agrees with me and tries to figure out the things that we need in the game.
Any short-term goals and unfulfilled ambitions?
No matter which team I play for, I just want to win trophies. Right now, we (Chennaiyin) have been growing as a team, doing well in the league.
You played just nine games for the Indian National senior team. Could have played more?
I would have played many more games if not for a issue with coach Stephen Constantine in 2015. Because after that, he was coach for quite a long time. And he never called us (Romeo Fernandes & I). Later on, I got the chance to play in the national team after Constantine left. I don’t regret it. Every footballer dreams to play at least one game for India National senior team. I played in the National team and also won the SAFF Cup in 2021, which I think was a great thing.