JOIN USIt is imperative for a team that seeks to play an attractive brand of football to have solidity at the back.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is Bengaluru FC's last line of defence, but his role was not just limited to making saves, the goalkeeper also had to contribute to the attack.
Apart from the seven clean sheets, Gurpreet also attempted 365 passes, which is 105 more than he did last season. His 61 saves are second only to Mumbai City's Amrinder Singh, who made 66. He did have some hiccups along the way -- his two howlers against Delhi Dynamos cost BFC the match -- but the 27-year-old never lost his confidence.
He stayed calm and learnt from his mistakes to eventually earn the golden glove.
"I think we ended up where I imagined we would be. Personally speaking, it was very satisfying to have won the league and the golden glove," said Gurpreet, before thanking his coach Carles Cuadrat for teaching him the value of patience.
"Credit to the coach and the management for making us go through those things before the season started, which led us to have more patience throughout the league. Even when things were not going right and we were losing our way and the game, we were patient. That kind of patience was something very special for me to look back," he added.
The BFC custodian admitted that passing was not always his strongest suit but he has worked hard to get better at it. "I am not that great at passing the ball from the back. But as a player, you want to take that challenge and improve. I am glad that I pushed myself and did that.
"Thankfully, coaches also gave me some freedom to kick the ball long whenever I want. But that's the kind of football I also love playing, even though there are things that I can't do. But I want to learn. I want to pass and play the kind of football that we plan to play before the game," said Gurpreet.
Goalkeepers, more often than not, become scapegoats for their team's failing. One bad day and the spotlight is on them. To keep going, despite all the noise, is a trait, Gurpreet said, he has developed as his career progressed. "One of my goalkeeping coaches told me that a good goalkeeper has a short memory. If you try to think about things that have happened during the game, it doesn't help you for the rest of the game and for the games that are ahead of you. Yes, those mistakes were very disappointing but I always knew that I have to look back to what I did wrong and make sure to sit with my goalkeeping coach and try to rectify it," he said.
Gurpreet said it was the club's winning mentality that has rubbed off on all the players, who are looking to do well at the AFC Cup now. "The club always wants to win and be the best in the country. It wants you to do well at the Asian stage. If winning the ISL gets you the slot, you win the ISL, if winning the Super Cup gets you the slot, you do that as well. Everyone over here is a winner," said Gurpreet.