Rehenesh is now a key member of the starting line-up from Jamshedpur…
The Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 is a pivotal season in the professional career of Malayali goalkeeper TP Rehenesh. The keeper failed at NorthEast United and Kerala Blasters and received a lot of criticism for his exhibits between the sticks of the Yellow Army during the 2019-20 season.
But things seem to have changed for him at Jamshedpur FC and Rehenesh has managed to change his fortunes. The keeper is currently one of the most important players in Owen Coyle’s starting lineup, has started every game he was available for selection so far for the Men of Steel. He made more than a few brilliant saves to keep the team in the top four.
To find out why there has been such a difference in the player’s performance levels at his current and previous clubs, it’s worth exploring the cultural differences in how the game is viewed in these two cities. It might not be better or worse at Kerala Blasters, but it’s definitely different.
In Jamshedpur, Rehenesh seemed carefree. He seems to appreciate the importance Coyle places on him and hasn’t appeared to be pressured by fans at any time so far.
“Well, I can only talk about my goalie, but there are some really good goalies in the league. There was the India international on the other end today, Gurpreet (Singh Sandhu) made some fantastic saves today. But, about Rehenesh, when I brought him to the club I spoke to him ahead of time and told him what I needed from him, ”Coyle said after Jamshedpur FC’s 1-0 win on the Bengaluru FC.
“On the back of that, I was determined to sign it, which I did. There are still areas where I want him to keep improving and strive to improve. But, he’s a wonderful boy and gives us everything we need from a goalie, ”said the 54-year-old.
Obviously, the approach Coyle took with Rehenesh and the work the support staff did with him bolstered the goalkeeper’s confidence, who was in the doldrums of his evil club.
Rehenesh’s performance in Kerala was very poor to say the least, and it could be argued that he was sometimes abused on social media. His confidence was drawn and he never really recovered.
Seven months ago, a teary-eyed TP Rehenesh stood in front of Kerala Blasters fans at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium after a heavy 6-3 defeat at the hands of Chennaiyin in Kochi. He had offered his opponents a goal due to a goalkeeper error and both outside the stadium and on social media, the abuses against the player were unstoppable.
Another factor to consider is the quality of the defenders in front of him. So far, Rehenesh has made 27 saves, the most ISL goaltenders this season, and has kept three clean sheets (only the top two teams Mumbai City and ATK Mohun Bagan have more) in nine matches. . However, he has much better leadership ahead of him, thanks to the experience of Peter Hartley and Stephen Eze.
Coyle’s tactics also helped the keeper. The former Chennaiyin coach doesn’t want his team to be boring, but neither is he a fan of possession-based football to win games and isn’t addicted to his goalkeepers playing football. ‘back every time he receives the ball. For a guard like Rehenesh, it helps.
It’s been a phenomenal turnaround in Rehenesh’s career so far, but the season is only half over. The team looks really good to be a playoff contender and the Malayali are close to completing a massive comeback from their disastrous stint at Kochi.
