The midfielder feels the pre-season has not been ideal ahead of their ISL opener…
When Anirudh Thapa burst on to the scene with Chennaiyin FC in the 2017-18 Indian Super League (ISL) season (though he made his first appearance in 2016), he was a precocious talent with a bright future.
Fast forward to the start of the 2020-21 season, the talented youngster has morphed into a capable leader in midfield and is one of the cornerstones around which this Chennaiyin FC team is built.
And his importance to the team was proclaimed by head coach Csaba Laszlo who named him a vice-captain of the team ahead of their season opener against Jamshedpur FC on Tuesday. It has been a satisfying journey for Thapa at the club where he made his professional debut. Much of it has come from a desire to learn the tricks of the trade and get better, as seen by the 22-year-old’s obsession to improve and match the best midfielders in the country.
“People call me young because of my age but to be honest, I don’t consider myself as young. I am playing with people like Rowllin (Borges) bhai in the national team. I want to be past that stage where I am (just) a talented youngster. I want to be like him (Borges). I want to be better than him. I feel he is one of the best midfielders in India and I want to improve myself and be the best,” Thapa told Goal.
“Coaches have helped me evolve and even the teammates have helped me start controlling games. I’ve been learning and getting more experience. Especially in understanding what tempo I need to play in and how I should control games and of course, the coaches have helped.”
Thapa had a brilliant 2019-20 season for Chennaiyin FC, playing the role of a fulcrum in midfield to perfection. He anchored the midfield with elan alongside the likes of Germanpreet Singh and Edwin Vanspaul, helping out defensively as well as offensively. He made 20 appearances, scoring one goal (against FC Goa in the play-offs) and registering six assists.
More importantly, his performances as a number 8 helped Rafael Crivellaro focus on his playmaking duties, underlining how important Thapa has been to the Marina Machans. It is a role he has made his own in the national team as well, under Igor Stimac.
“I like to play as a number 8. I like to start the game from behind and then move forward rather than waiting for the ball to come to me in the attacking third. I am more comfortable playing as a number 8.
“I have played this role for a very long time now, even during my youth days and at the national team. That is the position I love to play. But the coach might want to put me in another position. If coach Csaba Laszlo wants me to play as a 10 or elsewhere, I will play there.”
One of Thapa’s aims ahead of the upcoming season will be to improve upon his performances from the last campaign. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown up challenges galore. The players have had to be holed up without football or even training for almost six months since March when the lockdown was imposed. Moreover, the pre-season has not been foolproof, thanks to the Covid protocols that have meant that the players are in a bio-bubble for the duration of the tournament.
Thapa explains that staying in the bubble for the entirety of the ISL will be a huge challenge for the players mentally.
“We are staying in a bubble and to be honest it is very difficult because we are doing the same thing every day and we can’t do anything else,” he revealed. “We can’t interact with others and we can’t go outside the area that has been allotted.
“It is difficult to stay like this for five months. Also, for the last six months, during the lockdown, we’ve been staying in the same place. We haven’t been able to go out or train or do anything like this. And now we are in a bubble and it is difficult for us as a player.”
However, the AIFF Elite Academy graduate understands that these are challenges that must be dealt with as the season approaches. And when the matches start, with the first game coming up against Jamshedpur FC on Tuesday, their only focus will be on football.
“But we need to stay focused on our matches and do well. We need to start and finish off the season on a good note and do as much good stuff as you can.”
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