Sporting Clube loaded with fine young talent

PANAJI: Oscar Bruzon has another collection of highly talented youngsters but as the team reaches another crossroad, the question everyone asks is simple: can he knit this together into another effective team?
From among the 11 newcomers at the club, an overwhelming majority of ten players are youngsters, still learning the ropes, or yet to step into the harsh world of professional football.There has been an only exception in the signing of Cressan Antao but the former Dempo Sports Club defender was more of a necessity rather than a luxury that Sporting Clube could afford.
"These youngsters could have to wait for another year or two before they can be ready for the rigours of professional football but the talent is such that I will not be surprise if, five months later, these players start giving the established players a run for their places," said Bruzon, the Spanish coach who has revolutionised Sporting Clube.
Of all the youngsters that arrived at the club, most of them, according to the coach, were looked at very closely by the club scouts over a considerable period of time. Four players from the AIFF (under-19) Elite Academy -- Kamaljit Singh, Souvik Das, Sumit Ghosh and Passi -- have landed at the club and are sweating it out at the Duler stadium in Mapusa to catch Oscar's attention, but most eyes, particularly that of manager Angelo Albuquerque, are focused on Jarmanjit Singh, a defender who has had a towering influence at Tata Football Academy (TFA) and Jharkhand for almost four years.
"Jarmanjit was recommended to us by many of our contacts and now it's up to him to grab the opportunity," said Albuquerque, whose eye for talent is unquestionable.
Besides Jarmanjit, there is another TFA lad in Harpreet Singh, a defender, while Glen Martin, Ganesh Thakur and Oliver Cardozo are reported to be the best catch from the Sesa FA net.
"I love working with these youngsters. The talent is amazingly good but I cannot assure anyone of a starting spot. They have to prove themselves and when the opportunity is offered to them, they cannot afford to let it pass, because someone or the other will snatch it without hesitation," said Oscar.
Sporting Clube were found to be woefully short in the second phase of the I-League last season and made no attempt to show either the raw courage or trickery that made them such dangerous customers. Part of this was the inexperience within the squad, while the failure of foreign players to measure up to the challenge also pegged them back.
For now, only Australian striker Boima Karpeh has survived the foreign axe at the club while Pablo Gallardo will be the new addition. The Spanish defender was Sevilla FC youth set-up in Spain and did duty for the Spanish club's reserves from 2005-2009.
The marquee player, said to be an African World Cupper, should be at the club before the deadline of August 31 while a call on the fourth and final foreigner will be taken "as late as possible."
For the moment, though, the coaching staff just cannot take their eyes off the youngsters. There are plenty of them, particularly in the middle of the field, and the club remain alert to the danger of overload.