![]() He adds: “He brought the best out of his players. Even with the course of changes Miranda made during the match, it all seemed to come together and the tactics were good.” He was the player of the tournament and played absolutely brilliantly. Mauricio had a new hunger in him for the Hero Super Cup. Delgado and Malik were superb at the back and they had a great goalkeeper in Amrinder (Singh) with vast experience. Miranda found a way to not only get the best out of his Indian players but also his foreign players. Tompkins says: “Look at the likes of Princeton, he didn’t feature much under Gombau but was ever-present in the Hero Super Cup. He certainly reinvigorated Victor Rodriguez and had them looking so sharp and hungry,” Paartalu asserts. He fine tuned things that perhaps Gombau was overlooking or not paying attention to. “Clifford was able to manage the players' expectations and motivation levels at the end of the season. He stuck with the same eleven since the knockout game against Hyderabad FC while the players coming off the bench also had an impact.Īlso read - Hero Super Cup: Key factors behind Odisha FC's historic title triumph Odisha FC ended the Hero Super Cup with a whopping 11 goals across five games while conceding just four goals. Osama Malik, who on most occasions was deployed as a defensive midfielder under Gombau, moved to the heart of the defence, forming a partnership with the experienced Carlos Delgado. Miranda found the perfect balance in midfield, opting with the trio of Thoiba Singh, Princeton Rebello, and Victor Rodriguez. While the attack consisting of Nandhakumar Sekar, Diego Mauricio, and Jerry Mawihmingthanga remained the same, there were few changes in the middle of the park and defence. Miranda made a few tweaks in Odisha FC’s playing eleven that paid dividends. He still kept to Gombau’s philosophy of playing out from the back but made them more resilient getting back into shape, quickly defending as one unit and closing gaps that were once there during the Hero ISL,” he added. “He was able to make them play free-flowing football but also the quickness in defensive transition improved and that stems from watching a lot of football as Odisha FC’s assistant head coach this year,” explains Hero ISL expert Erik Paartalu. They went down thrice – twice during their group stage matches and once in the semi-final – but won two of those games and drew the other. Miranda also instilled a fighting mentality in his players as the Juggernauts ended the tournament unbeaten. They played to their strengths while maintaining a defensive solidity at the back. Not many touted Odisha FC as favourites at the start of the tournament, but under Miranda, the Bhubaneswar-based side defied the odds and went all the way up. You're looking at the ONLY Indian head coach to win the #HeroSuperCup □ #BFCOFC #LetsFootball #OdishaFC #CliffordMiranda | /5mD1h0F83a Miranda instilled a better team spirit, there seemed a lot more togetherness than what it was towards the end of the Hero ISL,” says commentator Mark Tompkins. It was surprising to see Gombau depart after that playoff defeat to ATK Mohun Bagan. “Miranda was a breath of fresh air coming in over Gombau. It was not only a historic feat for Odisha FC, but for Miranda as well, who became the first Indian head coach to win the Hero Super Cup. ![]() They held their nerves to beat Bengaluru FC 2-1 in the summit clash, fighting with dogged determination and belief to claim their first silverware. ![]() Featuring in their first-ever final, Miranda ensured a strong end to the season for Odisha FC by leading them past the finish line.
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