Exclusive: 'Playing with an attacking mindset is the key to success,' says U Mumba skipper Fazel Atrachali
The Pro Kabaddi League, since its inception, has proved to be one of the best platforms for youngsters to showcase their skill and in the process earn some recognition for their talent. With every passing season, the PKL unearths some of the top-flight players from across the country and the quality on offer as part of Pro Kabaddi 2019 has been no different.
One team that has banked on good performances from a big chunk of the youth contingent in this season is U Mumba. In the player auction ahead of the season, apart from breaking the bank to secure the services of Sandeep Narwal for ₹89 lakh, U Mumba signed four exciting raiders in Rohit Baliyan, Dong Geon Lee, Athul MS and Abhishek Singh.
While there was certainly some spark and energy in the team that was assembled post the auction, the one loophole they were certain to face was the lack of a seasoned raider who would be banked on to bring about a majority of the points.
Having started the season with a 31-25 win over the Telugu Titans followed by a 23-42 loss to the Jaipur Pink Panthers, U Mumba entered their home leg with a little bit of a dent in their confidence.
From their four home games, U Mumba won two games - one against Puneri Paltan and the other against the Gujarat Fortune Giants - but crumbled under pressure against the Bengaluru Bulls and UP Yoddha.
At this stage, there was a pattern that the results followed. Every loss was followed by a win and the season two champions were hit by the raiders' inability to score big in the second half and make the most of a lead in the game, ultimately losing most of their encounters by just a 2-3 point margin.
A little more than half of PKL 7 has passed and currently, U Mumba are one among the few teams fighting for the top six spots and have six wins, six losses and a tie from their 13 matches thus far.
U Mumba skipper Fazel Atrachali spoke to Sportskeeda in an exclusive chat as the Iranian corner defender dealt with the issues faced by the team in the first half of PKL 7, the pressure of leading a young side and a lot more.
In the first half of the season, the major issue we faced was that we could not hold on to a lead and convert the advantage into a win. But now we know what our faults are and we will focus and try and executing our plans well in the upcoming games.
While the constant shuffle in the starting seven has not helped, on a personal note, Fazel Atrachali has not had the best of seasons from the left corner and although he has picked up 40 points from 13 matches, his performances have certainly been quite a stretch away from his lofty standards.
The Iranian spoke about the challenges of leading a young side and the need to maintain composure.
This season has been difficult for me as a captain because in U Mumba all the raiders are young. All I have told them is to keep an attacking mindset and try to pick up points. It is important to put in an effort, keep your mind calm and think positive.
For a man who has proved to be a nightmare for the best of raiders, Fazel did not shy away from claiming that the pressure of captaincy has brought about a more reserved style of play from him this season.
There has been a little pressure on me because I have not had too much of freedom to make a lot of tackles. Being the captain, it is my responsibility to stay on the mat. If I go out for 10-15 minutes in a match, there is a lot of pressure on the youngsters in the team to bring me back on. Since I am needed on the mat, I have not gone in for too many tackles this season.
The fact of the matter is that barring a couple of good performances from young raider Abhishek Singh, none of the other U Mumba players have been able to remain consistent and when quizzed about the words of advice handed out to Abhishek Singh, Fazel claimed that Abhishek has been asked to stick to a simple strategy.
This is a three-month long tournament and it is important to be consistent and keep it simple, not only in the first few matches but all through the season. Abhishek has done well in practice sessions and in the matches so far. His fitness all through the season will be important to lead the side from the raiding front in the upcoming matches.
Given that U Mumba find themselves in the middle of the pack, they will undoubtedly need to put in their best efforts to pick up a string of wins that will certainly boost their chances of making the knockout stages. Fazel, as a final note, elucidated on the importance of sticking to the basics in the upcoming games.
For us, every match from this stage is important. Each team can make their way up the points table and every team stands a chance of making it into the playoffs. It will be important for us to remain focused and do our job, and in the process get our basics right to pick up important wins in this second half.
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