For me, Puia146;s paper has always been clean: Karim

PC Lalwampuia was in a deep dark dungeon. But in that darkness was a flicker of light. The young Mohun Bagan striker followed that light and got out of the jail.

PC Lalwampuia was in a deep dark dungeon. But in that darkness was a flicker of light. The young Mohun Bagan striker followed that light and got out of the jail.

Last year, Lalawmpuia had hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. On many an occasion he had transgressed the disciplinary codes. Carlos Pereira, who coached Bagan last season, took the easiest way out, which was to distance himself from the player. Still, Lalawmpuia8217;s talent convinced the club officials and his team-mates to keep faith in him. In came the new coach Karim Bencherifa and helped resurrect the footballer8217;s career.

With 8 goals from 12 CFL Premier Division matches this season, Lalawmpuia has become the darling of the Bagan crowd. Bencherifa, however, feels he is yet to hit his peak and has miles to go before he makes a mark at the international level.

8220;I had a one-on-one with him after I took over. I told him, as far as I was concerned his paper was absolutely clean. I was not at all concerned over what had happened in the past. But I also told him that if he didn8217;t meet his professional responsibilities, he would be out,8221; Bencherifa told The Indian Express.

Pep talk apart, what are the other factors that brought about the change? 8220;He is getting a lot more balls in the penetrative zone this time. We have been playing attacking football, which suits his style of play. For a player to get out of the hole, nothing can be better than on-field success. He is getting support upfront that is helping him in scoring goals. The beauty of this side is that we have an excellent team spirit and the players back each other. Lalawmpuia did all the hard work all right, but without the support from his colleagues he couldn8217;t have turned the corner.8221;

The coach has a word of caution though. 8220;Success can be short-lived if you don8217;t make it a habit. He has the potential to be an asset for the Indian team. The Asian Cup should be his target. And to meet the target he has to be consistent. He is going through a learning curve and will have to travel a fair distance before he becomes a force at the international level. His skipper Baichung Bhutia should be his role model,8221; Bencherifa observed.

Indeed, Baichung and also Jose Barreto have been playing a big role to keep Lalawmpuia focused. In fact, they persuaded the club management to continue with the youngster for one more year. They were right on the money.

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Meanwhile, Bagan coach keeps his fingers crossed as far as the CFL title is concerned. A win over George Telegraph on Tuesday is likely to see them through. 8220;It would be just another match for us that we aim to win. We are playing good football and the best thing is that the boys don8217;t give up till the last minute. That has been reflected in our performance,8221; Bencherifa concluded.