Indian Arrows, consisting the core of the side that represented India in the under-17 World Cup, are back in the national capital to play rest of their home matches of I-league at the Dr Ambedkar Stadium. And they start their home campaign against the newcomers Gokulam Kerala FC on Friday.
The coach luis Norton de Matos-led side made an astonishing start to their I-league journey with a dominating 3-0 win against another debutants Chennai City FC through a brace from striker Aniket Jadhav. But the team was humbled twice by leaders Minerva Punjab in the next two consecutive games in home-away fixtures. The Blue Cubs lost 0-2 in Bambolim (home game) and 1-0 in ludhiana respectively. The team will look to put the losing run behind them as they come back to the city which gave them precious memories not so long back.
"We are certainly looking for a win against Gokulam," said coach De Matos. "The Hero I-league is very exciting for us. The most important thing for us is to show our boys can play with senior players. With no foreigners and mostly 16-17-year-olds, even if we finish 5th or 6th it's a huge positive."
Arrows are still considered heavy favourites for the match as they take on a less-fancied Gokulam.
The Kerala-based side have failed to impress so far in their debut season as their winless streak is extended to three from three matches.
The Bino George-led side has scored just once so far in a (1-1 draw in Southern Derby against Chennai) and conceded five times -- including 3-0 (against NEROCA) and 1-0 (against Shillong lajong in two away games).
With an evident poor away form, Gokulam would have to deal with a potent attack that Arrows possesses. The team bolster big names such as Edmund lalrindika, Jadhav and Nongdamba Noarem in the forward line. A skillful and quick-feet Edmund, wasn't part of the U-17 World Cup squad due to age restrictions, filled the void that was created after Komal Thatal was surprisingly dropped by the Portuguese coach.
Following the same philosophy as they did in the World Cup, the team still plays a compact 4-5-1 formation in the I-league as they defend in numbers to absorb opponents' pressure and likes to hit them back on the counter; an area where the team have vastly improved. With their experience gaining every day, the Blue Cubs looked a very threatening counter attacking side. "Indian Arrows is quite a young team. I've seen their matches and they are quite fast," said Bing George. "Although they are a bunch of teenagers we have to be cautious as they are a very good team and I told my boys to not take them lightly."