Indian Super Cup 2018: 'If there was a drill that makes you Sunil Chhetri, then everyone would do it,' says Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
This may have been his first season back in Indian football after his stint in Norway with Stabaek FK, but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has made sure that it was one of the most memorable ones he has had so far.
To add to that, Gurpreet ended his first season at Bengaluru FC with a trophy that marked the club's fifth silverware in its five years of existence. However, the season was not without its fair share of both ups and downs, as the Blues had to pick themselves up after a disappointing defeat in the ISL final.
As Bengaluru FC bask in the glory of their recent win, and prepare themselves for their upcoming AFC Cup tie against New Radiant SC on Wednesday, Sportskeeda caught up with their star goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who opened up about his side's fabulous run this season.
Here are some excerpts from our conversation with him.
Q: A cup final against a traditional heavyweight of Indian football that also happens to be your former club. Were you feeling any pressure during the Super Cup final against East Bengal?
A: I used to play for East Bengal but that was in the past. We weren’t letting any pressure get to us in our pursuit of the title.
To be honest, I was enjoying watching the way the team was moving the ball around and while football is unpredictable, I was confident we had this in the bag once Miku scored. The loss in the ISL final was tough to swallow and the best way to react was to win the Super Cup. I’m happy that my first season at BFC has a trophy to it.
For us, it was important to react from a disappointing final in the ISL. We weren’t really thinking of it as a tournament that has both leagues playing, we just wanted to go out there and win this.
Q: A number of local fans turned up in Bengaluru colours during the final. Did this massive support surprise you?
A: It was really nice to see the locals backing us. The trip from Bengaluru to Odisha isn’t a short one and it helped to have support locally. That said, it was fantastic as always to have our fans travel from Bengaluru for the final in decent numbers. They always make a difference to the way we perform.
Q: What do you think is the difference between a season in Norway and that in India currently?
A: I’m not sure it would be fair to compare seasons. The difference is I’ve played almost every weekend here and that is important. We lost out on one title by a whisker, won another one and we’re competing for a third – that sounds like a pretty good season if you ask me.
Q: The season is not quite over for you guys at BFC due to AFC Cup engagements. How do the players cope with such a long season?
A: A long season does take its toll but that’s when you don’t have depth in the squad. There were so many games where we rolled out two completely different squads and kept winning. Everyone has stepped up when called upon, on this team and that’s what has made a long season not so difficult to deal with.
It isn’t going to easy but we need to focus on giving a good account of ourselves. When the tournament ends, we should walk out a better team.
Q: You recently signed a 5-year deal at BFC. These long-term deals have become a recent trend in India. How do you think these could help the Indian players?
A: A long-term deal shows how much you trust the club and the road that it is taking, and how much the club trusts you to keep getting better as the seasons progress. I feel it’s the right thing to do.
Q: Lastly, what is it that makes Sunil Chhetri get better with age?
A: If there was a drill that makes you as good as him then everyone would be doing it. His dedication to get better is second to none and age doesn’t really pose a threat.