« Press

Article from www.GOAL.com
26/02/2008 04:18
Click here to read the article at Goal.com

I-League Coach Of The Season: Karim Bencherifa

2007 saw India take a giant step towards improving the standard of football in the country by kicking off the first ever I-League. The 18 round saga has come to an end and there has been a lot of drama involved throughout - taking everyone by surprise. Of those, one of the noticeable names is Churchill Brothers and the man behind the success and the runners-up spot - Mr.Karim Bencherifa is Goal.com’s Coach of the Season.

galleria zoom The success Churchill Brothers have enjoyed this season seems to have come straight out of a Bollywood movie - a team with no big stars but a good motivating coach getting the best out of them in order to get the job done. Though the team didn’t win the league, they gave eventual champions Dempo a harrowing time till the final day and lost out on the championship only by goal difference. 

Why did Goal.com choose the wily Moroccan as the Coach of the Season?

If you look at the Churchill Brothers side, one will notice that there aren’t many Indian national team players in their squad except for defender Gouramangi Singh, who recently became a part of the national XI due to the absence of Deepak Mondal with injury. 

The Goan side doesn’t have the best players that the nation has to offer but they still almost took the title.This is Bencherifa’s biggest asset – to let the players be aware of their strengths. Fitness plays a major role in a sport like football and ask any football expert in the country today about which team has the best fitness in the league and only one name is heard….that of Churchill Brothers. 

24 out of their 40 goals this season have come in the second half which is an indication of what they are capable of in the later stages of the game. Seldom can one see a side in Indian football keep their shape and formation in order throughout the 90 minutes. The former national coach of Brunei has changed this trend and has drawn attention from the most unlikely of the persons. 

Indian national team Coach Bob Houghton testifies: “Churchill Brothers are the one side in Indian football who manage to keep their shape for full 90 minutes.” 

What Bencherifa has brought to Churchill is a style of football which is very pleasing to the eye and often gets the results for them. While watching Churchill play, one wonders as to how much effort would have gone in to get everything right considering most players in the team are inexperienced with Churchill being their first club. 

The coach has turned raw talent into one of the most fearsome sides in Indian football. The evidence lies with players like Robert Lalthampuana, Khan Thang Paite, Resiangmi Vashum and Naoba Singh who have excelled considerably under his tutelage.

An area which most coaches in India have often failed with the exceptions of Mr.Subhash Bhowmick and Mr.Sukhwinder Singh is man management. Most coaches haven’t managed to get their message across in a palatable manner which is where Bencherifa has succeeded and scored over his rivals. 

All the above points compliment the one which is the most essential quality to be a great coach – tactician. Bencherifa is one of the best readers of the game and is respected for his footballing brain. In the goalless draw between Churchill and Air India, the former had as many as 20-25 corners in the game yet couldn’t convert a single one. The manager went back to field and changed the strategy which was to send two players to take the corner and which instantly brought the desired result in the following games against Dempo and Mahindra United. 

Goalscoring machine Odafa Okolie has present in Indian football for some time but couldn’t do anything remarkable for the media or football experts to notice him. In his two years at Churchill Brothers, Mr.Bencherifa has turned Odafa into one of the most prolific scorers in the league. Under his able guidance, the Nigerian has been the topscorer this season with 22 goals, outdoing his feat of 18 last year. 

Churchill Brothers have already won the Durand Cup this season and have finished next only to eventual I-League champions Dempo.

What They Say 

Indian national team captain Bhaichung Bhutia: “Mr.Karim Becnherifa has done a great job. The last two seasons have seen Churchill Brothers to blossom into a fantastic side under him. The young lads have done well and all the credit goes to him.” 

Indian national team striker Abhishek Yadav: “He (Mr.Bencherifa) has changed the direction of Churchill Brothers and who would have thought they will be running for the title this season?” 

What The Media Says:

Mr. Nandakumar Marar, The Hindu: “The coach has managed to get his message conveyed to the players and their onfield performances are an evidence of the same. One does get the feeling that players are enjoying football under him.” 

Mr.Stanislaus D'Souza, The Times Of India: “His training sessions are one of the best in the country and as a result, they are the fittest team in the league. Undoubtedly, he is of the good coaches in India. He has a penchant for attractive football and doesn’t mind losing than playing good football.” 

Mr.Kumar Shyam, Daily News and Analysis (DNA): “He (Mr.Karim) is the most professional coach in India at present. He doesn’t obsess his players with football. Train for three hours and then let’s his players chill out. He makes the players employ his strategies and allows them to take pleasure in playing football.” 

Mr.Abhijeet Kulkarni, Hindustan Times: “His ability to motivate the players is unmatched in the Indian arena. Odafa Okolie was a big flop until he came under the shelter of Mr.Karim at Churchill which saw him rise to unknown heights. 

Mr.Gordon D'Costa, Hindustan Times: "The motivating aspect and to get the most out of a young side are two aspects which have made him into a successful coach this season." 

Rahul Bali.