'I Have To Be Aggressive'

'If I'm too nice, it doesn't help in that position.'
'My position almost asks me to be aggressive and not very nice.'

Sahil Tavora seems like your average 28 year old. He is anything but.

Armed with a disarming smile, his self assuredness off the field and his tactical acumen on the pitch make him an asset that sets him apart.

Having honed his skills at Sesa Football Academy and Dempo SC before making his top flight debut for FC Goa back in 2016, this is a special season for Sahil.

It's his homecoming and he hopes to make it a memorable one.

Sahil is already an ISL winner with Hyderabad FC -- a trusted midfielder of the Nizaams that went on to lift the title in 2022 under coach Manolo Marquez. But Sahil wants the feel of that trophy again.

Since its inception in 2014, the ISL trophy has eluded the Gaurs but Sahil tells Rediff.com's Norma Astrid Godinho, he is convinced that FC Goa have enough firepower to lift the trophy this season.

"I'm back after 8 seasons, so I'm very happy to be back. I was obviously following the team last year, they had a very good season. My objective is just to help the team whenever I can and hopefully to build on last year."

Was Manolo Marquez a factor in bringing you back home to FC Goa?

We worked together for three seasons. I have a good relationship with him, on the pitch and off the pitch as well. We worked really well together for the three seasons we were in Hyderabad.

So he knows me as a player, and so in that, the decision-making of his was definitely one of the factors. I'm happy to be here and work under him again this season.

You've played in four clubs in India now (FC Goa, Mumbai City FC, Hyderabad FC and Punjab FC). Could you tell us how different the football culture is in each place that you've played?

I think the times that I played at were different times. So when I first played at FC Goa was in 2016, when the league was just starting, growing, it was a shorter league.

In Mumbai (Mumbai City FC) it was the same, probably.

Then in Hyderabad I had the longest time actually, five years, the last five years. So that time was like sort of when I developed the most as a player and I had probably the most successful time of my career and I hope to continue.

So different times at different clubs and of course when you play with different teams there's different coaches, different players.

But I think in Hyderabad we had that continuity. You know at one club and similar players for a few years, you sort of gel better and perform better, so I think that helped us and it helped me as well.

You are a technically strong player and with mental fortitude. But you tend to attract the referee's attention quite often. How do you view that aspect of your game?

I think in my position, I play in holding midfield, so one of the things I almost have to do, like the dirty work for the team. So I have to be a bit aggressive. If I'm too nice, it doesn't help in that position. So my position almost asks me to be aggressive and not very nice (smiling).

I control it the best way I can. In terms of getting cards, yes, I get the odd yellow card here and there (he has 2 red cards in his professional career thus far). So, it's actually just the result of the position I play in.

FC Goa have a lot of experienced players in midfield and also a lot of young players looking to break in. How do you see yourself fitting into this dynamic in the team this season?

In FC Goa we have a lot of good players in midfield and when you have competition for these postiions, the level in training goes up and it's almost like you have to compete everyday to get your spot and to get the minutes that you want to play and I think with this you improve as a player.

And also to be competitive, to give 100 percent in your training to work hard. You know that if you don't show up in training or in the games, may be there is another very good player that's probably going to take your spot. So I think this competition in midfield it helps and I want to give my best all the time I play for the team.

In 2018-2019 you moved to Portugal and played for Alvarenga, making 26 league appearances for the club. Tell us about that experience.

I was there playing for Alvarenga, a third division club in Portugal for one whole season and then I came back to Hyderabad.

So that one season really helped me into becoming more of a man, because I was away from home, tough conditions. It was a lower league, so it's a lot more competitive, a lot harder. I was in a place that was freezing cold, it got dark at 4 pm to 5 pm, this kind of experience while playing football and training.

It was a really good experience for me. And even the sort of stuff I learnt, in terns of becoming a man, I take today with me. So it definitely helped me a lot.

You must harbour ambitions to play for India. Do you see that dream realising soon?

Definitely, I have the ambition to play for India. I've actually had two good seasons back-to-back. I can only control my performances and my season with my club.

Obviously, it is something that I think about, but I don't put too much pressure on it. I take it game by game, training by training just to improve as a player. If I have another good season consistently, then that is something that probably could come. So I'm looking forward to it.

What are your predictions for the team this season?

We are at the beginning of the season, it's very early of course. There's a lot of teams, very competitive, but also we have to be very ambitious personally and as a team.

I'm very ambitious and the team, the coach, everyone has that ambition. Last year they almost got it, they came very close and I think they have that taste and that feeling for it being close. So I don't think at the beginning we should put that pressure on us.

We have to take it game by game but in the long term definitely have it in our heads that we want to have a very good season.

How do you unwind after a game or a training session?

This year will probably be easier because I'm in Goa, I'm at home, so my family will be there. They complain that when it's training days I'm always thinking about football, so I don't really have a lot of time. So yeah, when the free day is there, I spend with my family and my friends.

It helps that Goa has beaches and I like the beach a lot. Maybe something like that, very easy, chilled.