'Calm mind, sharp finish': NorthEast United coach Benali on scoring goals

Guwahati, Mar 8: Scoring a goal may look simple on the football field, but for NorthEast United FC head coach Juan Pedro Benali it is an art shaped more by the mind than by the foot.

The Highlanders have scored only twice in their first three Indian Super League (ISL) matches this season.

The numbers underline the void left by Moroccan striker Alaaeddine Ajaraie, who netted 23 goals in 25 appearances last season before moving on loan to Indonesian club Persija Jakarta.

Benali admitted that the absence of Ajaraie and Spaniard Nunez Chema has affected the team’s attacking output.

“Of course we are missing Alaaeddine and Chema. Between them they scored around 75% of the goals in the Super Cup and Durand Cup,” he said.

“When you take out 75% of the goals from a team, it is not only that you do not score. You also create less danger for the other teams, hold the ball less and win fewer set pieces.”

Replacing such influence is never easy, he added. “You cannot replace Alaaeddine or Chema easily. Now we have other players and we try to improve them, but we cannot put too much pressure on them,” he said.

For Benali, the difference between a prolific striker and an ordinary one often lies in a single quality - calmness. “In football, scoring goals is very expensive,” Benali said, while reflecting on the art of finishing.

“One of the most important things to learn is calmness. Sometimes you see players in front of goal and they just blast the ball everywhere without control. Why? Because of anxiety in front of goal; the anxiety to score,” he says.

Benali believes that composure in the decisive moment separates elite forwards from the rest. “That is the difference between a top-level striker and a normal striker. The top-level striker makes it look easy, just touching the ball,” he said.

The Spaniard pointed to Brazilian legend Romario as one of the finest examples of that quality.

“One of the best strikers I saw in my life was Romario. He carried the ball and sometimes did not even shoot. You ask how he scored like that. It is calmness, the mental power to stay calm like a surgeon performing a delicate brain operation,” the Spaniard added.

According to Benali, developing that calmness should be a priority in Indian football. He feels young strikers often face excessive pressure to score with power rather than precision.

“This is one of the points to work on in Indian football. Sometimes I hear people say we do not need foreign strikers because we can create Indian strikers. I disagree a little. I think we need to bring very good strikers so Indian players can learn from them,” he said.

“The problem is that we put too much pressure on Indian strikers when they are very young. We tell them to shoot with power and score. But first they need to be calm and just hit the target,” he said.

Even in training, Benali said he observes players trying to strike the ball with excessive force like baseball or cricket.

“Be smooth with the ball. It is your friend. Then we will learn to score more goals. It is more a mental moment than just technical practice,” he said.

NorthEast United began their campaign with a 0-3 defeat against East Bengal. They followed it with a 1-1 draw against Bengaluru FC before narrowly losing momentum in the closing minutes against Mumbai City FC despite taking the lead.

MS Jithin scored against East Bengal, while Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia found the net against Bengaluru FC.

Benali emphasised that football remains a collective effort. “We do not play with one player. We play with 11 players. A team makes the player and the player makes the team,” he said.

With the Highlanders gradually adjusting to a different attacking approach, Benali said the focus now is on rebuilding confidence within the squad.

NorthEast United will next face Punjab FC on Monday as they look to rediscover their scoring rhythm.