ISL: Coach Popovic plots FC Pune City's record run

Representational PicGoing into the fourth season of Indian Super League FC Pune City had the dubious distinction of being one of two teamsother being NorthEast Unitedto have never qualified for the semifinals Pune City is one of the first club in ISL which invested early in the academy marketing and established connect with fans However despite being strong on paper they never got the results they deserved Almost four months into the current season the team has overcome the jinx to make maiden debut in playoffs and much of that credit goes to their Serbian coach Ranko PopovicIndeed Pune City were smart to recruit some proven names from ISL 3 Golden Boot winner Marcelinho and Marcos Tebar two key performers behind Delhi Dynamos semifinal run in 2016 and Emiliano Alfaro NorthEast United FC found their way at Pune But it is Popovic who has made the biggest impact despite not being involved in the any of the recruitment before the season Pune City had planned for the season with Antonio Habas who was continuing from last year in mind Habas was involved in the player recruitment right from identifying foreign players to formulating the strategy for the domestic player draft in July 2017Any coach would want to have a say in the squad composition before going into a season a luxury which was not afforded to Popovic who joined the club after they abruptly parted ways with Habas Many would arguably write off a club which runs into trouble with coach even before season kick off Even the start was not to anyones liking They were down 03 in their opening clash against Delhi Dynamos before pulling two goals back In the next game however Popovic orchestrated a response by upsetting defending champions ATK 41 awayPopovics tactical nous and selection of personnel has come to the fore many a time during the season Against Bengaluru FC for example Popovic managed to stifle the rampaging Blues at home something teams found tough this season until Baljit Sahnis red card turned the tide around His decision to field Adil Khan as a midfielder also paid off with the former Mohun Bagan defender putting in excellent displays in the centre of the park alongside Tebar which lent the side some stability and steel allowing the talented frontline of Alfaro Marcelinho and Diego Carlos some freedomIn fact Popovic used versatile players extensively during the season with Baljit Sahni Rohit Kumar Adil Khan and Sarthak Golui popping up in different positions according to the needs of the team in different matches Another key factor to Punes success has been Popovics faith in young players While many coaches tend to be circumspect when it comes to handing out chances to youngsters Popovic has been the exact opposite And his trust in them has paid dividendsVishal Kaith 21 Golui 20 Isaac Vanmalsawma 21 Ashique Kuruniyan 20 Rohit 21 and Sahil Panwar 18 all played key roles during the season We want to make most players possible for Indian national team and make the league stronger said Popovic The Serbian coach has made the most of the players handed out to him and made further improvements in the winter transfer window by bringing in Marko Stankovic and LoloHaving picked up just two point from their last three matches Pune City will be eager to make amends in the semifinals against Bengaluru FC Everyone has made Bengaluru FC the favourite to go all the way but with Popovic busy strategizing he might just have an ace up his sleeveCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go