Óscar Bruzón was appointed Mumbai City FC’s Assistant Coach for the second season of the Hero Indian Super League. The former Sporting Club de Goa head coach who enjoyed a couple of successful spells in the Hero I-League is eagerly awaiting the start of the ISL campaign.“I am glad that the management have placed their confidence in me to take the team forward this second season of the ISL,” said an animated Bruzón.Having guided Sporting Clube de Goa from the bottom of the Hero I-League table to the top half in 2012-13, Bruzón believes that understanding of the players was the key to his prosperity at the Goan based club. “I strongly believe that foreign coaches need to understand and adjust to the sport culture, which would for me be personality; strengths and weaknesses of the Indian players. From that moment the appropriate level of empathy will emerge and the guys will place full confidence on you and on the next stage then you can ask them to adjust to your working patterns as well,” explained the former U-14 Celta de Vigo coach.Bruzón has been a part of the Indian football circuit for almost three years now and believes that this professional experience in Indian football would serve as an advantage for him, leading up to his role at Mumbai City FC. As for his plans for Mumbai City FC as they build up to season two, he said “Currently we are focusing in building up a top team selecting the best batch of Indian and foreign players keeping in mind the game model we are considering for the upcoming season.”A winner of the Goa Pro League, the Goan Supercup and the All Goa knockout tournament in 2014, Bruzón is known for his ‘all-out’ approach as a manager. “It is not a big secret that my coaching style is demanding, ambitious and trying to ensure that the players enjoy their job. They must show that effort, exhibiting good team behaviour and a strong will to improve both as individuals and in as a team,” exclaimed the Spaniard.We also asked him to cite the managers he seeks inspiration from across world. “Sincerely I like to take ideas from many top coaches in Europe. Talking about names, Eduardo Berizzo (Celta de Vigo) and Diego Simeone (Atlético Madrid) are coaches who inspire me and I have learned lots from them,” revealed the former Celta de Vigo player.The Spaniard attended Mumbai City FC’s grassroots festival held in Navi Mumbai last month and also commented on the dedication of his new club toward the grassroots programme. “Mumbai City FC is absolutely committed to the development of the grassroots programme. They explained to me the details of the project for the next three years and I must say, it is the most professional approach I have seen at any club in my years in India. I am sure in a few years we will start producing talent and players who can be a reference in Indian Football,” he predicted.This will be Bruzón’s third season coaching in India but his first coaching an ISL team. “ISL has been and absolute success in terms of creating interest and building a fan base. It’s incredible that in the first edition it was the 4th most watched league around the world. Still I feel that every team has to be conscious about developing the grassroots programmes. It is from that moment of understanding that everybody will start perceiving and understanding the real benefits of the ISL,” opined the former Las Palmas player.
