KOCHI: Mandar Rao Desai’s stock has been on the rise since the inaugural Indian Super League. With the Goan winger being a vital cog in the FC Goa side who are making a strong push to reach the playoffs this season, Mandar has been garnering rave reviews.
The attacker scored in his side’s 2-2 draw against NorthEast United FC on Sunday, taking his season’s tally to two goals and three assists. But it is the way in which he orchestrates the Goan attacks along the wings with Brandon Fernandes that speaks beyond those numbers.
The 25-year-old, who is still uncapped for the Indian national team following a bitter fall-out with coach Stephen Constantine in 2015, is hoping that his recent performances for the Goan outfit will merit a call-up to the Blue Tigers.
“It is a dream of any footballer to play for the national team. Obviously, I am confident that I deserve to be a part because of what I have done during the last couple of seasons,” Mandar told Express. “I have had the backing of Goa coach Sergio Lobera and I’m playing some of the best football of my career,” he said.
The tiff between Constantine and the player had started when Mandar, along with his FC Goa teammate Romeo Fernandes, failed to turn up for the national camp ahead of the 2015 SAFF Championships in Thiruvananthapuram. The AIFF suspended the duo and slapped them with a hefty fine. “Fernandes and Dessai didn’t even bother phoning. The club claimed they were injured but I never got the report. ...Either way, neither of them will be picked any time soon. Their complete lack of respect for the team, and the country was — in short — a disgrace,” Constantine wrote in his book ‘From Delhi to the Den’.
It’s been more than two years since and Mandar is still waiting for his chance.
“There were some problems between the coach and me. But I have done everything I can from my side and it is now up to him to decide whether to pick me for the camp or not,” said the former India U-23 international.
Talking of coaches, Mandar is relishing working under Lobera’s Spanish school of football. “I am improving under his style. Sergio has great trust in the domestic players which is one of the reasons why we have done so well this season,” he said.
“With each passing game, I feel like the team is getting stronger irrespective of the results. We want to continue this way so that we can qualify for the semifinals,” Mandar added. The left winger also wants to improve on his output from the matches.
“I realise that I have failed to score much despite getting a lot of chances. I am working on it and there are still some more games where I can try and improve on the scoring front,” he said.
adwaidh@newindianexpress.com