Thapa will be India's captain in the future: Coyle

Chennaiyin FC manager Owen Coyle praised central midfielder Anirudh Thapa, labelling the 22-year-old workhorse as a captaincy material for the national team in the future.

Thapa, a regular for the ‘Blue Tigers’ since making his debut in 2017, flourished in the Indian Super League (ISL) Season 6 under Coyle, who repeatedly put out two Indians to shield the four-man backline. “Thapa is a sensation. I think he will be India’s skipper one day,” said Coyle during an Instagram interaction with former Jamaica international Chris Humphrey.

Despite finding the going tough at the beginning of the ISL 2019-20 campaign, Thapa picked up steam as the 10-team tournament progressed. Statistically, the Dehradun-based lad had the richest haul of his brief career, scoring a goal – a peach against FC Goa in the semi-final first leg – and setting up six.

“While most other clubs in ISL operated with at least one foreigner in the middle of the park, I preferred to play with a couple of Indian boys. Thapa was a huge part of that,” added Scotsman Coyle, the mastermind behind Chennaiyin’s extraordinary turnaround.

The 53-year-old also hailed Lallianzuala Chhangte, terming the winger a “lightning quick” footballer. The wideman from Mizoram was the highest-scoring Indian from open play in the league with seven goals. “At the start, Chhangte got a lot of criticism for not having the end product. However, towards the conclusion of the league, he was up there at the top. He was one of the domestic players I was impressed with.” Although CFC did not have a perfect ending to its fairy tale run – losing the title decider against ATK – Coyle remarked he greatly enjoyed the development of the youngsters. The former Burnley head coach had replaced the outgoing John Gregory at the helm six games into the latest edition of the country’s top-flight competition.

“Myself and (assistant coach) Sandy Stewart love to see young players get better. During my time, the Indians always wanted to improve. They listened and learned; they were hungry to do well. Apart from the domestic players, we had some terrific overseas recruits, especially the two Brazilians – Rafael Crivellaro and Eli Sabia,” added Coyle.

The tactician had some nice words to say about the league too, which is only six years old but has attracted some of the biggest names. “Overall, it was a wonderful experience in India. The country has really good football clubs. The supporters are so passionate. ISL is improving as the technical directors of all clubs have great knowledge of the players. The people involved love the game and that is why ISL is shining,” lauded Coyle.