Hyderabad FC’s Adil Khan explains why he prefers a centre-back role

The former Sesa Football Academy graduate also gave his opinion on the philosophy of the Indian national team

Hyderabad FC defender Adil Khan has played at various positions throughout his career and has often been referred to a versatile player.

After playing as an attacker during his formative days, Adil was moulded into a defensive midfielder during his time at Sesa FA under the tutelage of Anthony D’Souza, Ajay Acharya and Vishwas Gaonkar. He was reunited with Gaonkar at Sporting and nailed down his position as a defensive midfielder and made his Indian national team debut in 2012.

The uncharted story of Adil Ahmed Khan

He was also deployed as a right back during his first stint in the Indian Super League (ISL) at Delhi Dynamos under Dutch manager Harm van Veldhoven.

“I played in around seven games and I mostly played as a right back because in the first season (2014) Indians were there just to make a number with six foreigners starting,” he pointed in a conversation with  Goal .

Adil was eventually deployed as a centre-back by Derrick Pereira at Churchill Brothers but was once again used in the midfield by former FC Pune City (later Hyderabad FC) coach Phil Brown. Current India coach Igor Stimac has also preferred using him at the heart of the defence. 

“Stimac wanted me to play as a defender but Phil Brown wanted me to play as a midfielder. He (Brown) always saw me as a defensive midfielder to destroy the opponents’ game and to win the ball for the team, but Stimac has a different thought about me. I was about 30 that time (June 2019),” Khan chronicled. 

“He (Stimac) personally spoke to me about it and said ‘I know that you play as a midfielder but I know that you play in different positions as well. If you’re comfortable, I want you to play as a centre-half’ because Anas (Ethadodika) retired [from international football] that season, (Sandesh) Jhingan had a calf injury and Rahul Bheke was struggling with a groin injury.

“So that’s how I trained and played a practice match as a centre-back. After the match he said ‘Adil, I want you to play as a centre-back because you read well and you keep the ball’. Being a midfielder, I am very comfortable keeping the ball. So it becomes easier to play as a centre-back when it comes to keeping the ball possession. That’s how it worked for his plan and for me and hopefully it will in the coming years also.”

As such, Khan also touched upon how the players have to adapt to a new coach, just like when Stimac came in with a very different philosophy.

“When there is a different philosophy, then players have to adjust as per the coaches’ philosophies. Alo it takes times. That’s why we always say that ‘it’s a long process, you can’t get results overnight’. It takes time to adjust to the philosophy, to know what the coach exactly wants from you,” the former Sporting Goa medio stated.

In fact, ever since Brown parted ways with Hyderabad FC, Adil has been utilised as a centre-back by the interim coach Javier Lopez. It remains to be seen how incoming coach Albert Roca deploys him.

Regarding the role he expects at his club in the coming season, Khan admitted, “I think, at this stage, I am comfortable playing as a centre-back because I can save my energy and do a lot of things at the back rather than playing in the midfield and losing my energy.

“I think playing as a centre-back will give me more games and more years. So I think it would be better for me to play as a centre-back but it depends on the coaches. I am open to play as a right back or in the midfield also. I have spoken to the coach (Roca). He said that according to his foreign signings, he will decide where he wants me to play but at the national team I have to concentrate as a centre-back.”

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