Calm mind, sharp finish: NorthEast United coach Benali on scoring goals Guwahati, Mar 8: Scoring a goal may look simple on the football field, but for NorthEast United FC head coach Juan Pedro Benali, it is an art shaped more by the mind than by the foot. The Highlanders have scored only twice in their first three Indian Super League (ISL) matches this season. The numbers highlight the void left by Moroccan striker Alaaeddine Ajaraie, who netted 23 goals in 25 appearances last season before moving on loan to Indonesian club Persija Jakarta. Benali admitted that the absence of Ajaraie and Spaniard Nunez Chema has affected the team’s attacking output. “Of course we are missing Alaaeddine and Chema. Between them, they scored around 75% of the goals in the Super Cup and Durand Cup,” he said. “When you take out 75% of the goals from a team, it is not only that you do not score. You also create less danger for the other teams, hold the ball less and win fewer set pieces.” Replacing such influence is never easy, he added. “You cannot replace Alaaeddine or Chema easily. Now we have other players and we try to improve them, but we cannot put too much pressure on them.” For Benali, the difference between a prolific striker and an ordinary one often lies in a single quality—calmness. “In football, scoring goals is very expensive,” Benali said, reflecting on the art of finishing. “One of the most important things to learn is calmness. Sometimes you see players in front of goal and they just blast the ball everywhere without control. Why? Because of anxiety in front of goal; the anxiety to score.” He believes that composure in the decisive moment separates elite forwards from the rest. “That is the difference between a top-level striker and a normal striker.#juan_pedro_benali #north_east_united #alaaeddine_ajaraie #nunez_chema #persija_jakarta
