‘Intelligent, versatile and committed’ – How Edwin Vanspaul became the ‘man for all seasons’ at Chennaiyin FC

Six games into the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) season, two-time winners Chennaiyin FC looked to be heading for another disappointing campaign, with coach John Gregory deciding to part ways on the back of a horrific start.

But the Marina Machans found a new breath of life under Owen Coyle who took over a team bereft of confidence and turned them into an exciting, attractive team that plays with a lot of verve and imagination in attack. Coyle found solutions to Chennaiyin’s problems on the fly. No more were they struggling to score goals and no more were the midfielders failing to exert control on proceedings. Even the defence improved.

While the likes of Nerijus Valskis, Rafael Crivellaro and Lallianzuala Chhangte have grabbed the limelight, the understated performances of Edwin Sydney Vanspaul, roped in from I-League champions Chennai City FC, has been as important to their revival.

The 27-year-old local lad started playing as a full-back before Coyle deployed him in midfield to cover for an injured Germanpreet Singh against NorthEast United FC last month. And Edwin has been simply outstanding in that role since, proving to be an energetic and ideal foil for Anirudh Thapa and Rafael Crivellaro.

It was not easy for him by any means, as he explained to Goal in a candid chat.

“Mentally, I was okay to take up that midfield role since I have played there before with my former teams. But it was tough to do it from a physical point of view. When you play as a wing-back and winger, your areas are well defined. You go up and down in a straight line. You put crosses in and defend crosses.

“But as a midfielder, the role is very tough. Your areas are not exactly defined. You have to attack, you have to defend. You have to support on the wings when your full-backs are caught out higher on the pitch. You are the backbone of the team. It is very tough physically even though you adjust mentally, especially at such a high level. You need to know which balls you have to go for. I’ve been learning from Thapa and Ganesh by picking their brains,” Edwin said.

Going by the matured performances that Edwin has put in, one would be fogiven for overlooking the fact that this is only his first season in the ISL. However, he feels toughing it out in the lower leagues and the I-League helped him prepare for that jump in quality that comes with playing in the ISL.

“This season has been like a rollercoaster for me. It has been on another level. But I’m very happy to be playing in the ISL. It’s a dream for many. Instead of coming directly into the ISL, I have made it step-by-step, experiencing it all.

“The game intensity in the ISL is much higher. The standards are at a higher level with the various top quality players and coaches involved. I played in the I-League for three years with Chennai City FC. It’s tough to make that step up from the I-League to ISL because getting playing time might not be easy. The mentality of a coach and his methods in the ISL might be different.

“In the I-League, you would’ve proven yourself already and you will get guaranteed playing time. But straightaway getting playing time in the ISL is tough. You have to prove yourself in the I-League and raise your standards before making that step up,” assessed Edwin.

The coy lad, who hails from Neyveli district in Tamil Nadu, started his professional career as a striker before playing in a variety of positions including as a winger, right-back, left-back and now a central midfielder.

“I started playing football seriously from school in Neyveli. The coach had used me as a striker there and even after school, I played as a striker in various tournaments. But at that time, Chennai had the biggest league in the state. One of my friends called me to play for a team in the Chennai Senior Division Football League temporarily. They asked me to play four matches as a striker and offered me a contract,” he reminisced.

It was then that he would go on to meet Sabir Pasha, who is currently one of the assistants at Chennaiyin FC, former India international Raman Vijayan and former Chennai City coach Robin Charles Raja – three figures who played a huge role in shaping his career.

Edwin’s step-back from the role of a striker was under Sabir Pasha at Indian Bank, for a very interesting reason.

“One of my friends had moved to Indian Bank then. He suggested me to Sabir sir at Indian Bank. They offered me a contract as a striker and I took it immediately. But I found it very tough to play as a striker against the big teams. The defenders used to play very rough against me and I used to take blows. I could not cope with the rough football. So when the team got a foreign striker, they asked me to play as a winger,” he admitted.

“Then I moved to Chennai FC where Raman Vijayan sir asked me to play as a central midfielder. He told me not to play as a winger and taught me the basics of how to play as a midfielder. Then I moved to Chennai City after impressing for Tamil Nadu team in the Santosh Trophy where I had continued to play as a midfielder under Robin Charles Raja.”

However, Edwin could have featured for Goan side Churchill Brothers but for a contract offer he felt was not enough to convince him to leave Tamil Nadu.

“Robin sir then sent me for trials at Churchill Brothers. They offered me a contract but I thought it was too meagre and came back to Chennai which was when Robin sir told me Chennai City are entering the I-League and are interested in me. Robin sir was the coach when they entered the league and they signed me. But again I started playing as a winger and a wing-back. I established myself as a full-back before Owen Coyle changed me to a midfielder again,” he said with a smile.

Now that’s an Ed’win’ dance ?#CFCKBFC #AattamReloaded @edwinsydney pic.twitter.com/rIjxEhtPX4

— Chennaiyin FC ?? (@ChennaiyinFC) December 21, 2019

Edwin also shared an anecdote from his younger days which motivated him to get to a stage where he has become a recognisable name in the Indian football circuit.

“There was a brother-like figure for me back in Neyveli called Ajay. He was a brilliant player. I was inspired to play football by watching him play for our local club. But he died of typhoid and dengue at a very young age. However, he had once told a friend that Edwin will make it big in Indian football. I came to know of this after his death. It was an emotional moment for me and it had a huge impact on my career,” he shared.

He definitely has made it big, judging by the lion-hearted performances he has put in at one of the biggest stages in Indian football. He has quietly become one of the most dependable names on the teamsheet for coach Owen Coyle who eloquently describes Edwin as a versatile, intelligent and committed talent.

“Edwin Vanspaul is capable of playing in a number of positions. What he has is a very good football brain. He understands the game. He is very intelligent. It’s a difficult position to play in (central midfield). I trust him completely and he is a wonderfully talented player. He cares about the team and the club and that speaks volumes,” said Coyle ahead of Chennaiyin’s match against Bengaluru.

Those words are nothing but just reward for the hard work Edwin has put in this season. And if he continues to justify his coach’s faith, it will do a world of good to Chennaiyin’s bid to qualify for the play-offs this season.