Most important was building his confidence: Clifford Miranda on Nandhakumar Sekar’s rise

Odisha FC head coach Clifford Miranda reckons it was important for him to build Nandhakumar Sekar’s confidence in order to get the best out of him. Sekar scored six goals and provided an assist in 20 matches for the Kalinga Warriors in Hero Indian Super League 2022-23 season and played a key role in taking the club to their maiden playoff stages in the tournament.

He finished the season as Odisha FC’s second-highest goal-scorer behind Golden Boot winner, Diego Mauricio, who scored 12 goals.

Nandhakumar Sekar continued to impress in the Hero Super Cup as he scored four goals in the competition and thus played a key role in taking his team to glory in the tournament.

The 27-year-old from Chennai has definitely grown in confidence after his impressive performance for the Juggernauts. Meanwhile, Miranda has observed Sekar from close quarters in the recent past and has given him crucial inputs to get the best out of him.

“As coaches, we can help them with small details here and there and with the experience that we have had and with what we can see from outside. I remember meeting him last year when I was with FC Goa (during the Hero ISL 2021-22 season) and I always liked him as a player. I like wingers who can take on defenders one-on-one,” Miranda said on The Injury Time podcast.

“Next year I was his coach (at Odisha FC) and when I met him I told him that he needs to improve certain things and most importantly, his decision-making. He used to do everything and his decision-making was not so good. But it is something you can improve on being only under pressure. We gave him a structure of two-three or four-five options where you can do things in that moment after which he starts to think better. This is what I did to help him grow in confidence,” he further explained.

The head coach added that it was imperative to give the winger confidence and make him believe in himself. Miranda’s words worked magic and Sekar was able to deliver his best for the club in the recently concluded season.

“The most important thing was building his confidence. Giving him the confidence that it’s okay to make a mistake when you are dribbling one on one, because it is the most difficult thing in football. And if he makes a mistake, encourage him. This is what I did with him and mostly all of the players, especially wingers and offensive players. Going forward is an art and creativity should not be curbed, but encouraged. This is what I did and thankfully, he has done well. I hope he does it for many years to come wherever he is,” Miranda said.