AWEKASH: Sangwan narrates his journey to the highest level

CHENNAI: Marauding left-back Aakash Sangwan was one of the few shining lights in an otherwise disappointing Indian Super League 2022-23 campaign for Chennaiyin FC.

Drafted into the starting line-up primarily to shore up the defence, Aakash, playing in his maiden ISL season, sizzled while foraying into the final third of the field. The 27-year-old served plenty of deliveries on a platter to strikers, especially Chennaiyin’s ‘Head Master’ Petar Sliskovic, who profited the most.

In awe of his inch-perfect crosses from the left flank, some CFC fanatics have been dubbing him as the ‘Indian Joao Cancelo’ and ‘Indian Achraf Hakimi’ – the Portuguese and Moroccan have revolutionised the full-back role in recent years.

“I am happy with certain aspects of my game like crossing. In previous seasons, I was not delivering great crosses. Because of that, I did not have many assists. I had to improve on that. In modern football, you cannot be a good full-back without being an attacking threat,” Aakash told DT Next during a virtual interaction on Saturday.

“If I look at individual performances, it was a really good year for me. I have grown a lot. I now feel that I can do a lot more. I have the potential to do more. The performances have given me a lot of confidence,” Aakash added.

Steady rise to the top

Aakash is currently riding the crest of a wave, courtesy of the hard work he put in behind the scenes over the last decade. Hailing from Haryana, a state where sports such as wrestling, boxing and kabaddi are more popular than football, he steadily climbed up the ladder despite not coming through the academy set-up.

“I started playing when I was in Standard VI [in Bhiwani district]. I fell in love with football the moment I started playing it. Not coming from a football background… that is something which has helped me a lot in understanding the game. I was curious to know what the difference between me and the guys with academy background was. In the early stages, they were better than me tactically. Technically, I was a decent player. I was also graceful with the ball. Then, curiosity came from within that I had to learn the game better,” said Aakash, who moved to Chandigarh for pursuing higher-secondary education.

“I did not have any role models to look up to. There were not many Haryanvi players in the I-League then. Until the moment I shifted to Chandigarh, I did not know that there were leagues in Goa and Kolkata. When I came to Chandigarh, I understood what the football scene was. I felt ‘this is something I can pursue and make a career out of’,” he added.

Learning by watching matches on TV

Serious about making a mark, Aakash, during his college days, spent hours and hours watching matches on television to sharpen his game. “At the start of the process, it was just about watching matches, watching every match that I could. After a certain time, my approach towards watching a match changed. I started thinking about the better options that I could take on the pitch (visualising himself). I also looked at specific players throughout the 90 minutes,” explained Aakash.

By putting into practice what he learnt, Aakash succeeded in his pursuit and ventured into professional football in 2017, when he joined Minerva Punjab FC. Ever since making his professional debut – he also had spells at I-League clubs Churchill Brothers FC and RoundGlass Punjab FC before moving to Chennaiyin – the left-back, in a bid to make further improvement, has been watching matches on mute occasionally and tracking certain kind of players.

“You see the movements of players… you see the bigger picture because you need not focus on the sound element. This is something that I do when I watch a match alone; I try to watch a match with more purpose. I have realised little things only by thinking about the sport. I am trying to figure out what is the best way to go forward,” explained Aakash.

“I mostly watch left-footed players and players who play in my position (left-back). I also love to watch midfielders who kind of move slowly. Someone who is very calm and someone who is not a great athlete, someone like Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City’s German midfielder). I am intrigued to watch how players who are slow go about their business. Their understanding of football is totally different. They have to think smartly. If you are not physically good, you have to be extra smart.”

‘Need to improve defensively’

A student of the game, Aakash is taking cues from top-level footballers across the globe to hone his defensive skills. “I know that I lacked defensively [in the ISL]. I need to improve my physicality, I am not a good tackler or a ball recoveror,” he said. Aakash will soon have the opportunity to scale another high when CFC competes in the Super Cup.