Spaniard Garcia’s plan to fast-track India’s World Cup dream

Throughout his career, Spaniard Luis Garcia was the quintessential big-game player. Adept in playing across attacking positions, Garcia enticed football fans with his ball-control and mazy dribbles.

One of the heroes of Liverpool’s stunning 2005 Champions League win, Garcia was in Bengaluru on Saturday for a promotional event organised by Carlsberg. 

“I remember like it was yesterday,” Garcia told DH about the Champions League triumph. “We started the season with the aim of doing good in the Premier League. It was a transition moment, the club came from a treble in 2001 and then struggled to qualify for the Champions League and get close to the top teams,” Garcia reminisced.

“Nobody expected us to be a strong side, we did not have that consistency in the Premier League because we did not have a deep squad, but in the Champions League and the Cups, we made the most out of what we had. “We were a very compact team, hard to break down and resilient. That helped us to make the miracle possible,” Garcia, who also made 74 La Liga appearances for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, added.

"We struggled to score in the first 45, the Italian teams are always hard to break down in defence. But coach Rafael Benitez managed to understand that if we can play with more freedom up front, bring the ball to players such as Gerrard, who was well marked, and find spaces in the wide areas with diagonals inside, we can fight back.

"That became our best route to goal, and we came back into the game. He gave us the confidence to go out and try again. He (Benitez) was calm, relaxed and that helped us clear our minds and play better. Everything that he taught, it was happening in the game, and that gave you the reinforcements to go for it. The first two goals came very quickly, and we knew we were in the game and held our nerve in penalties," Garcia recalled on the final.

Garcia played the inaugural season of the Indian Super League (ISL) in 2014 and went on to win the trophy with ATK. 

“I retired a few months before and was thinking about my next step. When ATK told me about it, I was very excited. I missed football so much. I miss the competition, the banter in the dressing room, the training routines,” Garcia revealed.

“We did a good job to help the Indian players understand how to train in a different way. That is why we won the trophy, the Indians did an amazing job, they worked so hard to keep up the pace. For me, it was a great challenge,” the 45-year-old added.

Garcia went on to elaborate about the evolution of the ISL and where it can be improved. 

“The League earlier was about bringing the passion of football. But cricket is always going to be number one. ISL did a fantastic job during those early years with different players from around the globe and tried attracting young Indian players.

“The league is more focussed on Indian players now. But you need to have that mix. If you bring players from different countries and leagues. The interactions, the mix of cultures and different styles are going to help Indians see different ways of playing.

“The league needs to continue bringing in more teams and keep growing, because we want to see India at some point in a World Cup.

"I still have a WhatsApp group with all the Spanish players and we keep reliving our memories from India," Garcia said with a beaming smile.

The conversation then switched to the exploits of India and Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri, and Garcia was quick to acknowledge the impact of the 39-year-old.

“I had the chance to play with (Sunil) Chhetri a couple of times. He has become an icon here in India and an inspiration. He has changed the mentality of young players,” Garcia said.

Both Garcia and Sunil Chhetri, despite their diminutive statures, are excellent in the air and have relied on headed goals as a big source of their scoring outputs. 

"First of all, its about how you get ahead of what is going to happen. Understanding where the ball is going to be is very important. That gives you the advantage to come in earlier to meet the ball. If you are ball-watching, you will miss out. You need to be thinking ahead of that.

"Second, it is all about the timing of the jump, how long you are in the air and where you head the ball. If you manage to build this tempo, you are going to be good. I think Sunil does a good job of this, how he adapts, makes the jump and goes ahead of the defenders. He heads the ball in the right moment with the right speed and puts the ball where he wants. Some part of it comes with your game style, but it is also about how much you practice. I remember being very young and practicing a lot with my teammates," Garcia explained.

Garcia also outlined that the present Liverpool team look reinvigorated and if injuries can be avoided, the Reds can pack a punch.

"I think expectations are always there. After the last couple times where Liverpool lost the PL narrowly, the club is part of those teams that challenge for the title every year. People were a bit doubtful as they were a bit vulnerable in the back, but now the team is back in their best, the intensity is seen in the games, the players up front are in form.

"They give you the hope that the team is going to challenge for everything. Injuries are always going to be a challenge, Jota is injured and Allison is out for a few weeks, if we can keep away the injuries, the team is going to be in contention," Garcia added.

Since retiring, Garcia has worked as a pundit for ESPN and BeIn Sport, but is glad to still be a part of the sport he loves.

"It is hard to leave your passion behind. For every player, making the next step after your career is very difficult. As a pundit, I have the chance to continue watching football, talk about it which I love, and to have discussions about my way of seeing football. I try to learn from a lot of people, to see the way that they see football, and am enjoying it so much, talking about it," Garcia signed off.