KOCHI: One of the most talked-about news in Indian football right now is the possible departure of Kolkata giants East Bengal from I-League to the Indian Super League. If that happens, the upcoming season of the I-League will be without two of the traditional powerhouses — Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. On the other hand, it will turn the spotlight on clubs like Gokulam Kerala FC who will take over the mantle as title favourites.
The club from Kerala has been busy in the transfer window and the biggest news to come out of their stable in recent weeks is the arrival of Vincenzo Annese as their new head coach.
The Italian replaced Fernando Varela recently, and at 35, he will be one of the youngest coaches at the helm in India come next season.
“It was my dream to come to India and I believe it is a country with great potential. Some Italians have come here in the past and made an impact like Gianluca Zambrotta and Marco Materazzi. I want to do my best here and when I took up this job, it was to win trophies and that’s what I’m here for,” said Annese.
Despite his age, the young tactician is no rookie and has close to a decade worth of experience as a coach. He has coached in countries like Italy, Latvia, Armenia, Ghana, Palestine, Indonesia and was the coach of Belize national team before joining Gokulam.
"I’ve heard a lot about India and I always wanted to come here and Gokulam sounded like a great project. I want to make Gokulam a top team and want everyone to watch and enjoy us play. I’m really looking forward to the new season. Another target of mine is to try and produce players who can play for the Indian national team in the coming years," said Annese.
It is a surprise that for someone who is only 35, Annese has an impressive coaching resume. But it was circumstances that made this former physical education teacher turn to coaching.
“Injuries cut short my career and my time as a footballer was over in my early 20s. But even during my playing days, I was always passionate about coaching and that is why I turned to it,” he said.
Annese went to the same university (University of Foggia) as Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte and believes that Italian tacticians are making their presence felt across the world.
“There was a stereotype earlier that Italian coaches are defensive. But all that has changed. Conte’s Inter scored a lot of goals, especially in the Europa League last season. Italian tacticians are good readers of the game. My aim is to make Gokulam like the Juventus of India,” said Annese.