Iain Hume makes good runs and is a determined player.Midfielder Elano Blumer leads the goal scoring charts in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) with eight strikes, but the frontline players too have enjoyed their share of the spotlight. Ethiopian international Fikru Teferra (Atletico de Kolkata), John Stiven Mendoza (Chennaiyin FC), who have both scored four goals each, have impressed as have Iain Hume (Kerala Blasters FC), Gustavo dos Santos (Delhi Dynamos FC) and Miroslav Slepicka (Goa FC) who have netted thrice each.Former India captain and one of the most lethal strikers in his time, Bruno Coutinho, is impressed with the strike prowess on display in the league, even though he was abroad for some time and wasn’t able to catch as many games as he would have liked to.Talking about the Indian sharpshooters in the fray, Coutinho says, “From what I’ve seen, a few strikers have impressed me. Milagres Gonsalves (Kerala Blasters) has been quite good. His movement is fantastic and he’s making it a point to do something constructive. Balwant Singh has been excellent for Chennaiyin FC as well. Jeje Lalpekhlua is another young player who has caught my eye.” The Arjuna awardee however heaped lavish praise on former Canadian international Hume who has become the lynchpin of the Kerala team’s attack. ”Hume has been wonderful to watch so far. He makes good runs and is determined. I think Fikru has played well also. He’s capable of making those acrobatic kicks too which makes him dangerous,” Coutinho says. The enigmatic Nicolas Anelka hasn’t had the best of tournaments by his standards but the Goan legend came to his rescue by stressing that the Frenchman is an intelligent footballer and is blessed with a deft touch.Fikru Teferra’s acrobatic kicks make him a dangerous customer.The short but stocky Coutinho was noted for his pace and deadly strikes from any part of the field, and represented India for over a decade from 1989-90 till 2001. Coutinho has won all the big domestic honours with Salgaocar including the National Football League and Federation Cup. His golden goal in the 1997 Federation Cup final (he scored both goals in the match) that helped the Goans down mighty East Bengal 2-1 at the houseful Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, is the stuff of legend.Explaining the intricacies of his craft, Coutinho says being able to score from 50-50 situations is what makes a striker great: “For me, a good striker will always bury these kinds of chances. In difficult games, you may not always get a chance. You must attempt to manufacture a chance. Sometimes, when you pressurise a defender, however good he may be, he might make an error. As a striker, you have to pounce on even the slightest error and convert it into a goal. That’s what makes a good striker.”Coutinho feels that the ISL is a good thing to happen for Indian football. “What the ISL has done for the up and coming players is very good. In my time, we used to get good crowds, but then it suddenly stopped. Now, the craze for the game has come back. My hope is that it creates an impact and helps the Indian team. The crowd has been tremendous in almost every stadium. I have great respect for Nita Ambani who brought this tournament to India. It is certainly going to help develop the sport in our country,” he concluded.
