Rahul Bheke as a modern day fullback
Rahul Bheke joined Bengaluru FC in 2017 from East Bengal after loan stints at Kerala Blasters and Pune City FC. He's been solid at the back and instrumental in attacks down the wing at the same time. His versatility makes him different from regular fullbacks playing in the ISL. In the 19 games in the ISL that he has played a part in, he started 3 games at leftback, 7 at centreback, 9 at rightback which is his natural position.He played as a Right wingback in the finals as Albert Roca tried a 3(5)-5(3)-2.
He's been a key part of Bengaluru FC's successful campaigns in the ISL, Hero Supercup and AFC Cup. A three-year contract renewal is a testimony to this.Here are the reasons why he can be regarded as a competent fullback who has brought a new dimension to the role under Albert Roca.
A complete full-back
One of the main reasons for Germany's success in the 2014 was the tactical versatility of the defenders. Germany manager Joachim Löw played traditional centrebacks like Jerome Boateng as a fullback, and the ever versatile Philipp Lahm could play as a fullback or a wingback. Löw changed his defence according to the opponents he was playing against.
Against teams like Portugal with explosive wingers in the form of Ronaldo and Nani, he played centrebacks Howedes and Boateng at fullback and their attacking duties were minimal so they could focus solely on stopping the wingers. Lahm started in place of Mertesacker in the quarters and semis.
The absence of Neymar meant that there would be less threat on the wings and this allowed the fullbacks to venture forward. The takeaway here is that defensive versatility is an underrated, yet key part of the success of any team and it's really important to have players who can allow such a system to take shape.
Bengaluru FC have Rahul Bheke who has the traits to be one of the most complete fullback this generation of Indian football has seen. He can play as a right back, left back, centre back, a right centre back in a 3 man defence or a wing back if BFC ever choose to play a 3(5)-5(3)-2.
DEFENSIVE DUTIES
The first and foremost expectation from a modern fullback is that he does not compensate his defensive duties when he ventures forward. Rahul Bheke is a defender first and has done perfect justice to his role. He's been good at winning aerial duels and stopping attacks down the wings. He does this by either throwing in some good tackles or committing much needed tactical fouls. His positioning on the field has been excellent which has enabled him to intercept so many passes and launch counters. He rarely commits unforced errors and is an intelligent, efficient defender.
LINK-UP PLAY
Playing fullback for a team with a high line with wide centrebacks who practically play on the wing when the fullbacks go forward is not easy. The fact that your average positioning throughout the game is somewhere at the halfway line or even beyond doesn't help. You need to be really comfortable with the ball and link up well with your centreback, midfielders and winger. A good fullback positions himself to maximise passing opportunities. Bengaluru FC's setup allows Rahul Bheke to stay higher up the pitch than a regular fullback which enables him to receive the ball from Johnson and distribute it to Erik Partalu, Lenny Rodriguez or even launch a through ball ahead to the pacy Udanta Singh. He's developed a good passing rapport with all these players that has proved to be very beneficial to BFC. Not only does this help keep possession, which is crucial to the style BFC have adopted and improvised under Albert Roca, but also confuses the opposite winger into pressing the wrong player. If Bheke himself is pressed, he shields the ball and takes it back to John Johnson who passes it Juanan to start another attack from the left. A fullback who is comfortable with the ball at his feet and someone who can link up well with all his options is crucial for wing dominance. Bengaluru FC have that in the form of Rahul Bheke.
EXPLOITS IN THE FINAL THIRD
Fullbacks are a crucial part of the team's attack when you play for a team like Pep’s Barcelona, Zidane’s Real Madrid, Sarri’s Napoli and of course, Albert Roca’s Bengaluru FC. Running into the final third, overlapping with the winger is crucial for fullbacks. But what you do after that is more important. The decision making ability of a fullback defines his attacking capabilities. Rahul Bheke, bar from a few instances or situations where he could've done better has been brilliant at this. Bheke knows when he must cross and risk losing possession and when he must hold up play till Udanta takes the ball which allows him to make a run higher up the pitch and then play a square pass to Miku. If these are not the best options in the scenario, he drags it back and plays it to Partalu to launch another attack, maybe from the other side. Patience is the key here. He also makes the occasional underlapping runs to receive the ball from Udanta, putting the opposite centreback into a dilemma on whether he must go after Bheke or continue marking Miku, eventually freeing up some space for Miku. Sometimes, he plays a long diagonal ball to Chhetri when there's a lot of space for the skipper to run into. Whatever be the situation, you can expect Bheke to take the right decision at least 8 out of 10 times. It's a gift to have a fullback who's patient enough to not bombard the area with crosses, but actually hold play and look for the best option.
Rahul Bheke had a good season in the Indian Super League. He had an average of 43 passes per game with an accuracy of nearly 78%. This shows how crucial he has been in the build up. With a total of 20 crucial interceptions, 53 tackles and about 60 clearances, he's been vital for the strong defence that Bengaluru FC has been boasting about. However, he's one of those players whose game is not defined by the statistics. He's more important to the team than what the stats tell about him.
Rahul also had a rather memorable Hero Supercup campaign. After a knock vs NEROCA in the quarters, he was taken off and consequently missed the semifinals against Mohun Bagan. However, he played a crucial part in the comeback against East Bengal in the finals which Bengaluru FC won 4-1. Rahul Bheke's header from the penalty area cancelled Kromah's opener for East Bengal, as Bengaluru FC went to the break with scores level but a man up. He also played a part in the final nail in the coffin for East Bengal, as his perfect cross after a well timed run from the right found Sunil Chhetri who headed it home to give Bengaluru FC the cup.
Rahul Bheke is a prime example of how a modern fullback must work and will be really crucial to Bengaluru FC's success in the following seasons, like he's been so far. Although, the style of play of the Indian national team is different from Bengaluru FC, a versatile defender like Bheke can fit in and will be crucial if India should have a memorable Asia cup campaign in 2019.