Looking forward to player from India in Premier League, says director of football Neil Saunders
Looking forward to player from India in Premier League: Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC’s juniors began their Next Generation Cup (Next Gen 2022) campaigns with defeats over Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City, respectively, although the flavor of the two games was markedly different.
While the Kerala lads surrendered completely in a 7-0 loss to Tottenham, their southern neighbor Bengaluru showed grit and tenacity to win three goals in the second half after falling down 6-0. The score was 6-3 at the end of the game.
Despite devastating losses in the first round of the competition for the two young Indian teams, the experience the lads got from playing against significantly stronger opponents is precious.
The Premier League’s Director of Football, Neil Saunders, had similar sentiments.
Former footballer Saunders believes the eight-year mutual collaboration deal between the Premier League and the Indian Super League (ISL) is a beneficial and significant step toward promoting a healthy footballing culture in India.
“I’m sure the Kerala Blasters team learned a lot from the experience, and I always believe that losing teaches you more than victory.” They should reflect on their performance and prepare for Saturday’s encounter [against Crystal Palace]. When asked how he judged the Blasters’ performance against the Tottenham lads, Saunders said, “They can take this experience back home and use it to benefit them in their growth process.”
Before becoming Director of Football, Saunders served as Head of Youth, where he was in charge of implementing the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), which attempts to nurture and develop homegrown players.
Bengaluru FC, for example, conducts their academies with efficiency and a long-term aim of identifying and nurturing potential. Sivasakthi Narayanan, who scored two goals in the second half against Leicester, is a prime example. However, football at the grassroots level in India remains chaotic. The basic level lacks a solid framework for a variety of reasons, including a lack of preparation and a lack of funding.
According to Saunders, one of the greatest ways to gauge improvement is to play against tougher opponents, and the objective is to attract more teams from India and expose them to world-class training facilities. “The opportunity to play against tough opponents is critical, and I hope that the Next Gen Cup helps the Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC youngsters, but generally, I believe that our collaboration with the ISL will provide more young players a chance to play against some of England’s top young players.”