I-League: Nandakumar's tactical brilliance guides dark horses TRAU

KOLKATA: Manipur based club Tiddim Road Union Athletic (TRAU) and their coach Nandakumar Singh have been a revelation in the I-League so far. The dark horses are perched at the third spot on the table with 10 points in seven matches, three adrift of leaders Churchill Brothers FC Goa.

Although many critics would have brushed TRAU off for a mid-table finish, Nandakumar's tactical genius has ensured that they belong with the leading pack and are not letting go anytime soon.

So far, 75 percent of TRAU's goals have come in the first 15 minutes of matches. Komron Tursunov's nine-second strike against Real Kashmir and then a sixth-minute goal in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Aizawl FC prove how Nandakumar's team adopts a highly attacking stance in the opening quarter of the match. Counter attacks have been the go-to strategy for TRAU. They have made an average of 2.7 passes to find the net and 67 percent of their goals have come from counters, meaning a swift blitzkrieg reaps dividends for them time and again despite having a conversion rate of just 28 percent. Although TRAU has conceded seven goals so far, they have the second most challenges in the league with 88, narrowly behind Chennai City FC with 95. With 51 defensive challenges, TRAU's back four has kept out the likes of Clayvin Zuniga and Luka Majcen. However, two clean sheets to their name is an indication that there is still room for improvement in the defense.

Coach Nandakumar has been vocal about his team's abilities and his wards have seldom let him down. "I am not surprised that we are in this position. The squad has the ability and the potential to be here and stay here'', said Coach. (IANS)

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