Extremely satisfied with the way Hyderabad FC played so far: Varun
Varun Tripuraneni, the co-owner of Hyderabad Football Club, is delighted with the quick turnaround and credits the support staff and management for putting in a lot of hard work
Hyderabad: Hyderabad Football Club had a tough debut year in Indian Super League finishing at the bottom of the points table in 2020. However in their second season, Hyderabad have turned things around and are vying for a place in top four. They have also impressed football aficionados with their style of play. Varun Tripuraneni, the co-owner of Hyderabad Football Club, is delighted with the quick turnaround and credits the support staff and management for putting in a lot of hard work.
“Last year, the biggest factor was time constraint. Our paramount was building a team but we had other issues like infrastructure at the stadium. This season, we had a lot of time to prepare. Right from January we started making a lot of changes in the team and support staff. A fresh approach has gone into this season and that is the biggest change. It is also the mindset of players and everyone at the club. The determination to turn around the club’s fortunes and that played a key role,” said Varun.
Speaking about the season so far, he said, “The season so far has been extremely satisfying and positive. Once the team is preparing well, the results are bound to come. We had all the elements to be a good team. The way we have been appreciated for the style of play, the way the youngsters performed, it was great to see. Our goal was to get into the top 4. I am very positive and hopeful that we will make it to the top four,” he added.
Hyderabad, however, had a tough beginning with many foreign players sidelined with injuries. But the young Indian players took the responsibility on their shoulders. “The youngsters have shown a lot of maturity and their consistency is what stood out. Ashish Roy and Akash Mishra started every game. Hitesh (Sharma) didn’t play much in the last two seasons. But he put up good performances. That was encouraging and we would want to build the team on these youngsters,” he said.
Hyderabad FC sacked coach Phil Brown mid-way through the last season and roped in Albert Roca. But he too departed to join Barcelona ahead of the second season. Speaking about the tough period, he revealed, “Initially, we started a lot of efforts in January since Phil departed and Albert Roca came in. We had to turn around things and we had to do it quickly. Albert’s departure was at a tough situation just before pre-season. We wanted someone who would fit in in the existing set up and Manolo Marquez Roca has fit in the team perfectly.”
He also said this season was challenging given the Covid restrictions. “Initially, it was important that whoever was going to be in the bubble understood the current situation. We tried to make the players understand how important it is to follow the Covid protocol and we want to give them confidence that it was a safe and positive environment. Initially it was about communicating with players on what to expect when they come to Goa. So they were mentally prepared when they entered the bubble.”
When asked about when HFC can have a local player, he said, “When it comes to local talent, there is a lot of work to be done and it might take some time. From next season, we have our youth teams participating in AIFF leagues. Apart from that, we would be launching a grassroots calendar soon. Having a good regional league is something we would like to start working with the federation and start putting a comparative league in the city. We would be focusing on women’s football,” he concluded.
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