The addition of David Platt as the coach of FC Pune City has made the club a serious force to reckon with ahead of the second season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL). Platt’s vast managerial experience with teams such as Sampdoria and Nottingham Forest is certain to turn Pune into title contenders this year. Having tasted Premier League success with Manchester City as assistant coach to Roberto Mancini during the 2011-12 season, Platt’s experience at the highest level of football gives Pune an extra edge, heading into the new campaign.Platt began his playing career in the famous youth system of Manchester United before moving to Crewe Alexandra where he would gain regular game time and blossom into one of the most exciting young midfield prospects to come out of England. Platt would then move to Aston Villa for a four-year spell where he would win the PFA Players' Player of the Year for the 1990 season before moving to Italy where he would go on to represent the likes of Bari, Juventus and Sampdoria.After a successful stint in Italy, he returned to England and helped Arsenal do the double by winning the Premier League and the FA Cup trophies during the 1997-98 season. The final chapter of his playing career with Nottingham Forest also ushered in his managerial career, where he was appointed as player-cum-coach of the team.When asked what it was like to represent European giants like Juventus and Arsenal, the former England international said: “My best time in Serie A was at Sampdoria – the place, the team, the way I was playing, made it the best two years of my life. But my year at Juventus could have gone a lot better. It didn't go as well as I would have wanted, but I have no regrets. I played for one of the world's top clubs and won the UEFA Cup. It's a nice line to be able to put on your CV when you finish playing.”Looking forward to the future of Indian football, the former midfield general was enthusiastic in his response when quizzed on what it was that drew him to the ISL. “Teams want to win, clubs want to win. I felt that from the first day I met Mr Gaurav Modwel (the franchise CEO), there was a real eagerness to succeed. You shouldn’t come with a closed mind. It didn’t take long me to realise that I want to spend time here. I have now done enough research here and I was pleasantly surprised. The main focus was on the state-of-the-art training facilities and accommodation. The facilities are being improved and are good enough,” Platt said.He went on to add: “I didn't know much about Indian football until the opportunity arose and I spoke to Mr Modwel in London. The more I researched and the more I heard, I became enthusiastic about the strategy of the ISL and FC Pune City. This is an ambitious plan and the strategy appealed to me.”Speaking on what the new season has in store for the Stallions, Platt believes he has addressed a key area by adding some much-needed firepower to their frontline and expresses his delight at starting with a clean slate. “What happened last season is in the past. We are here in Turkey to plan what we can do for this season. We have identified and got the right kind of players for every position. Strike force led by (Adrian) Mutu, (Tuncay) Sanli, (Yendrick) Ruiz, supported in the midfield by Eugene (Lyngdoh), Jackie (Singh), Israil (Gurung) - expect some fireworks from us this time,” he said.Asked if there were any clear favourites heading into Season 2, Platt said, “Every team is a worthy rival. The league is pretty new in that sense, so all teams start as favourites.”
