As Mumbai City FC embark on their first-ever AFC Champions League campaign, coach Des Buckingham offered a sobering reality check. The Englishman said that the monetary value of Al Shabab’s players were 5-6 times more than that of the Mumbai City team and that that should put it into context how difficult this group will be. And yet, the team has come with one goal in mind. Win one game.
Keeping a goal of winning one game may sound slightly defeatist but when considering the gulf in quality of Indian teams going up against some of Asia’s best, in the biggest Asian club football tournament no less – the goal sounds well-thought out.
“Teams that we will come up against are the best in Asia, so it will be exciting to face this challenge. We have many players who haven’t competed at this level before. We know we have to be smart but at the same time we need to find a structure that allows us our style of play,” Buckingham said in a pre-match press conference.
Last season FC Goa became the first Indian club to be a part of the Asian Champions League. In their maiden venture, they managed three draws in six games and goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh made 26 saves and made it to the team of the season. But Goa, a team that easily managed to keep 65% possession of the ball in most games in the Indian Super League, was not able to hold onto the ball for more than 35% throughout the Asian Champions League.
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— Mumbai City FC (@MumbaiCityFC) April 7, 2022
Mumbai’s first game against Al Shabab, might in fact, be their easiest in this group. Argentine midfielder Ever Banega is the main lynchpin of the Saudi Arabian club which is making its first appearance in the Champions League since 2015. Mumbai will then have to face the legendary Air Force Club Iraq. Air Force have won the AFC Cup three times but were dead last in their group in their previous Champions League outing. And then there is Al Jazira, the top club of UAE. Al Jazira boasts of one of Asia’s most prolific strikers.
Ali Mabkhout has bagged 79 goals in 103 international appearances and has proven to be a marksman that has dominated for a decade at the highest levels in Asia. If there are any advantages that the Islanders are going to enjoy, it is the near perfect preparations they’ve had in the lead up to the Champions League.
When the club’s group was announced, coach Des Buckingham had told the Indian Express that the important thing was for the club to ‘adjust to the playing conditions of the venue’. They did just that, enjoying a two-week training camp in Al Forsan, Abu Dhabi before leaving for Riyadh, the decentralised venue for Group B’s matches.
In this two-week camp, Mumbai played two friendlies against UAE champions Al-Ain and second division club Al Hilal United. Surprisingly, Mumbai beat Al-Ain 2-1 (The UAE Pro League club was missing four of it’s international players who were on national team duty) and then beat Al Hilal as well to cap off a perfect training camp.
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“It gave our players the opportunity to experience the level of competition here. It also gave them the opportunity to test themselves. It gave us the chance to work on our shape and structure.” He then added, “We know we have to be smart, but at the same time we need to find a structure that allows us our style of play.”
In the Indian Super League, Mumbai were expected to be a contending side, after their dominant league winning campaign. But the change of coach from Sergio Lobera to Buckingham, coupled with the loss of a few key foreign players meant that Mumbai this season have simply not been a force to reckon with.
It is easy to look at their owners – the City Football Group – and feel like they should have a chance of doing well in the group. But Asian Football Confederation rules limit foreign players (for now, as this rule is soon set to be scrapped) and the gulf in quality between some of the best Indian players and players from UAE, Iran and Saudi Arabia is simply too big a bridge to breach.
But the target of winning at least one game out of their group, especially this group with its rich heritage of Asian teams, should put Mumbai in good stead.
Live: Mumbai City FC vs Al Shabab, 10:45 pm, Star Sports network