Tough Churchill test for faltering HAL

BANGALORE: The mood in the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) camp continues to be a mystery. Even as the team's performance continued to slide, its officials took shelter under the clichéd one-liner: "We played well and missed plenty of opportunities." The players, on the other hand, would troop out blaming each other for the string of unimpressive shows.
HAL, Karnataka's lone representative in the I-League, got off to a worst start in country's premier league this time, losing their first two matches to a not-so-impressive Chirag United Kerala and the promoted Shillong Lajong FC by 0-1 margins.However, they held the inexperienced Pailan Arrows to a 1-1 draw in Kolkata last week.
It would be wrong to expect big things from a side which narrowly escaped relegation. But the management should be blamed for not taking enough measures to revamp the side. Instead, it retained many non-performers and allowed some of the good players to shift loyalties.
Of late, their flawed recruitment procedure too came to light, when they signed Aleksander Sujdovic from Serbia. Surprisingly, the striker did not start in any of the last three matches, even though the team struggled to be among goals. It is learnt that they may release Sujdovic during the January transfer window.
TOUGH TEST
It would be a tough test for HAL when they take on Goan giants Churchill Brothers in a fourth round clash here at the Football Stadium on Sunday.
Coached by the experienced Manual Gomes, the visitors have got plenty of stars in their ranks, including ND Opara, Henry Antchouet, Gouramangi, Steven Dias to name a few. Besides, they will garner local support too, thanks to the presence of former HAL captain Xavier Vijay Kumar in their line-up.
But Gomes is more worried about the absence of his strikers Beto and Bineesh Balan, who are out with injuries. "Their presence would have made a difference in an away match. But we have talented players who are capable of taking their place," he told TOI.
Gomes, however, would not take HAL lightly as any team would be capable of staging an upset. "For me, the match is important and not the opponents, be it is Salgaocar, Mohun Bagan or HAL," he said.
In all likelihood, the coach may try the 4-3-3 formation against HAL, which would adopt a defence-oriented approach.
HOME HOPES
Despite the reverses, HAL manager Muralidharan believes the players have shown tremendous improvement. "Now we have got the right combination, and the players are gelling well," he said.
But he confessed that a draw would be a good result as they were up against one of the best sides in India. "That does not mean that we have conceded defeat. We are here to fight," he said.
Murali, however, is not worried about the presence of Xavier in the rival line-up. "We have devised strategies for Xavier and other players," he added.
The team management is expecting the return of talented goalkeeper Pramod, who missed last two matches owing to an injury, and hopes the return of defender Liliyan Kenneth and midfielders Ajith Kumar Singh and Vinod Kumar will strengthen the side.
After three rounds, Churchill have seven points -- two wins and a draw -- while HAL have logged one point.