NEW DELHI: Signing an over-35 footballer as a marquee player seems to be quite the rage among the
Indian Super League (ISL) teams. In a mad rush to outdo each other, no expense is spared to sign the oldest of the 'has-beens', making it a 'phenomenon' unseen or unheard of in any other leagues across the world.
All levity aside, it is also an extremely risky option for any team. The reflexes slow down, a player becomes a shadow of his former self (in most cases) and is definitely more prone to injuries. In purely business terms, the return on investment is not guaranteed.
The latter reason holds true here in the case of
Mumbai City FC's marquee player
Diego Forlan
. Not used to the travelling and the gruelling schedule of this league, the injured forward will be missing his third game of the season when his team takes on
Delhi Dynamos
at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday.
Mumbai City have played four and earned seven points.
"It is important to have a flexible squad. It is not easy to maintain a playing level in the way the tournament is designed. The games have showed us that this is a very tough tournament. It is also a situation which we did not expect, like the injuries to some of our strikers. This can happen and I think we are adapting well. As for Forlan, he will be fit for our next game. I had a word with him yesterday. He is doing well. He will play our next game against Goa," said Mumbai manager
Alexandre Guimaraes
on Monday. Guimaraes finds himself in an even more peculiar situation. Generally clubs release players for some international fixtures. Here, some of his squad members, including
Sunil Chhetri, who has all the credentials to be the actual marquee player and face of Mumbai City FC, are playing in the AFC Cup for
Bengaluru FC, a team in the ILeague. Does he find it difficult accepting this situation?
"I was informed about this from the very beginning. We knew this when we started out our pre-season. What is worrying us is the injuries. This is hurting us. That clashes with the situation that some of our players are absent playing for Bengaluru FC. But, they are playing in a tournament which is good for Indian football. I wish them the best. If they can achieve something which benefits Indian football, then I have to adapt and manage the situation accordingly," he said.
The absence of Mumbai's key players would be welcome news for the Dynamos who are placed fourth with five points and would be looking to get back to winning ways after two draws.