ISL 2015: Pune-Mumbai derby will be a tough test of Anelka's managerial abilities

Mumbai City FC’s assistant coach Oscar Bruzon promised vivacity, speed and quickness from the Nicolas Anelka managed side – but it won’t be easy to execute against David Platt’s shrewdly organised FC Pune City. Apart from Adrian Mutu, who may have to come off the bench due to a slight niggle, Platt has his full plethora of stars to choose from. Anelka on the other hand, will certainly be without Sunil Chhetri, Subrata Paul (India duty) and Darren O’Dea (injured) – and will also assess a few players after they picked up minor injuries due to training on the artificial turf at Cooperage in Mumbai. [caption id=“attachment_2455014” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Nicolas Anelka. Sportzpics[/caption] Brandon Fernandes could also be a doubt after he was seen working with the physio on his own during the training session. In the absence of Chhetri, Mumbai can call upon I-League’s star of the year Sony Norde, Subhash Singh and Anelka himself. The Frenchman was quite vocal during practice on Sunday evening, taking his team through various strategies, gesticulating and being more expressive than we’ve ever seen him. He will need all of this to translate on the pitch against a side managed by someone who has played under Arsene Wenger, Roberto Mancini and Sven-Goran Eriksson and participated in one World Cup and two European Championships. Bruzon made it pretty clear that Anelka would be calling the shots despite the fact that he may not be on the touchline for most matches, instead marshalling the team while being in the thick of action. “We have an understanding among the technical staff and of course Anelka is setting the guidelines and game model for the team. We understand his brand of football and he wants vivacity, speed and quickness. We are going to fight and attack – that is what you can expect from us tomorrow. We’re expecting to implement an attacking game model but we also need a backbone and won’t forget the defence’s part,” Bruzon said, presenting an honest preview of what to expect from a team brimming with attacking talent. But Platt will be hoping that the pressure of a dual role will get to the Frenchman: “It will be difficult to juggle things for Anelka as player-manager. You’re looking at yourself and being critical too. He is a very talented individual and if he’s playing, we need to treat him with respect because he can turn the game in one moment,” he said at the pre-match press conference at the Balewadi Stadium. Anelka is notorious for getting into trouble with managers during his career – something he said he wants to put in the past. But it will still be interesting how he adjusts to this new role with expectations being particularly high this year with Mumbai’s heavy recruiting during the auction and the draft. Mumbai would do better to play cautiously against Pune City. For one, they are against a team which has had a pretty long pre-season in Turkey and looks incredibly balanced on paper. Even without Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Jackichand Singh and Pritam Kotal (India duty), Platt will have the likes of Tuncay Sanly, Didier Zokora, Lenny Rodrigues and Israil Gurung to choose from in midfield and attack – and Nicky Shorey, Roger Johnson and Gouramangi Singh should feature in a strong defence. “If you see the squad, we have a lot of attacking options so yes we would like to be offensive and control the game when we have the ball. But we would also like to control the game in terms of defending… but you know that doesn’t happen all the time in football,” Platt said. Without India’s top scorer Chhetri and with Brandon a doubt, the onus of creating chances will be on Brazilian Andre Moritz, one of the few sparks in Mumbai’s dismal season last year. “I like to try to lead and help the players. I like that kind of job – shame we don’t have Sunil and Subrata but we have players who can substitute them at almost the same level,” Moritz said. Last year, Mumbai thumped Pune 5-0 at DY Patil but lost 3-1 in Pune City. Pune’s skipper Zokora knows the importance of the derby and said it would be the perfect start if they won the game. After Chennaiyin vs Atletico, Pune vs Mumbai is the most high profile fixture of the opening round – and a stiff test for the managerial abilities of Anelka.