Squad Analysis - Suzuki Swift Islamabad Soccer Cup 2012

There were many stand out performers for the Red Devils in this tournament, however, true success has always come their way whenever they have managed to play well as a team. One must give credit to all the squad players, as the team's strength in depth proved to be crucial.

Champions Red Devils F.C

Despite not being a regular starter, Zaki Ahmed played a part in every game from the bench and often gave the team a boost with his all round play. The strength while on the ball, deft touch and a powerful shot often cause opponents trouble. Zaki was instrumental in changing the pace and nature of the Devils game whenever the chips were down and his impact in the all-important group game against Piranhas was massive.

Ecstatic Zaki

Abbas Taqi often added stability to the midfield and could always be called upon the play the role of a defensive midfielder with great discipline. Muawia Khan, a bit of an unsung hero of the final, injected incredible energy into the team, and chipped in with vital goals in the most crucial games. His calmness on the ball in the final stood out; however, the jumping ability he showed for his headers has to be his highlight of the tournament. Umair Iftikhar aka Buntu had a bit of a shaky start to the tournament, but always gave his all in defense. Buntu was one-third of the great wall of Red Devils F.C in the tournament that saw Devils keep three clean sheets in knockout stages. He also gave the team an option of calling upon a trusty defender from the bench while closing out games.

Super-sub Muawia Khan

The starting line up from the knockout stages took the tournament by storm. Bilal Liaqat proved himself to be a key man in the tournament. He proved to be a very tough target to beat in between the sticks and often saved the defenders' blushes. He almost made a memorable save per game; however, his distribution from the back was far superior to any other keeper and made him completely stand out. He also received the official 'Goalkeeper of the tournament’ award. Musti was not playing up to his very high standards during the beginning of the tournament, but that quickly changed. The more crucial the games became, the more reliable Musti's defending became, and often playing as the last man back, he proved to be a rock at the back. By the end of the tournament he once again proved to his critics that he is still one of the best defenders around.

The ever-reliable Prince of Hunza

Musti's eventual partner in defense, Usman Mashood, made a colossal mark on the tournament. His endless running, chasing, harrying and tackling of opposition players, lung busting forward runs, and skills make him a teammate's dream. He made countless tackles and interceptions, scored a crucial goal, and contributed very effectively in attack; however, his highlight of the tournament has to be the fact that he once made up ground so quickly to make a contribution in attack that he actually had time to call out a teammate's full name, twice. He sprinted down the left wing, and while running, raised his hand and shouted, "Haaris Ghafoor, Haaris Ghafoor!!" I guess that also says a lot about Haaris Ghafoor's playing style. Usman was the managers' pick for the player of the tournament.

The man with 4 lungs, Usman Mashood

Moving on to the midfield, the Red Devils had a lot of options in this department. Everyone's favorite, Haaris Ghafoor had yet another impressive tournament. His best performances came in the knockout stages when he dropped deeper and got more time to play his killer passes. Apart from his trademark elegant touches and brilliant passing, his positional sense was remarkable. He often had to drop back and used to find himself in the sweeper position; yet he defended very effectively, made many interceptions and used his height well to counter the opposition's aerial threat. He claims that he had a personal best when it comes to the number of assists in a single tournament. However, that cannot be confirmed since the information arrived through one his random tweets. He could have his own highlight reel for the tournament. One has to be his surreal sprint to chase down and defend Niazi, a very speedy Thudda United striker. I literally had to rub my eyes to believe that one. The second has to be the fact that one of his many fans called his name in the middle of the semifinal, while the ball was still in play, just so that he could wave to his idol, and get a smile back. The fan got his wish. Haaris also won the official 'Player of the Tournament' award.

Bilal Liaqat and Haaris Ghafoor

The new captain of the team, Sameer Hussain, found himself playing a bit of an unfamiliar role, as he often used to be the sole figure in between a defensive mid and two very attack minded players. His form fluctuated frequently in the tournament, and often started games slowly. However, just like the team, he became better as the tournament went on. Moreover, he showed further signs of settling into the role as captain. He remains an ultimate team player and an integral part of the Red Devils. He faced a lot of hardships during the final; his highlights consist of that Maradona like run he made during the last few minutes of the final, and the Roy Keane like header from the corner, which unfortunately hit the bar.

The man who led the Devils to victory

The attacking combination of Omer Mashood and Harris Qamar was a nightmare for every defense in the cup. Omer Mashood's instant ability to make an impact in a match was unprecedented. He was always a nightmare for the defenders with his direct running, no look passing (when it came off at least), and his uncanny ability to always find space in between defenders. It was no surprise that he ended up with his fair share of goals in the tournament. His highlight of the tournament was when he came off the bench in the last group game to score with one of his first few touches against the so called 'unbeatable' keeper. Harris Qamar is the most experienced regular starter in the team. He once again proved himself to be a reliable goal scorer. His incredible hunger and ability always ensures that once he gets on the score sheet, he hardly finishes the game with only one goal. He scored all sorts of goals in the tournament and maintained his amazing record of scoring in finals. Furthermore, he seems to thrive in the biggest games and scored one of the goals of the tournament in the final. Despite now having a reputation of being singled out by opposition defenders, his ability to beat a man and score still makes him the club's most lethal striker. Needless to say, he is the Red Devils' all-time leading scorer (no stats available on that). Like always, he provided us with many personal highlights in this tournament. His reaction to getting substituted cannot only be regarded as a highlight just for this tournament, but more of a career highlight. Scoring from a penalty kick can also be considered one. However, his biggest highlight in my opinion was the fact that he actually let someone else take a free kick in the final.

The Dynamic Duo of Harris Qamar and Omer Mashood

Last but definitely not the least, no words can describe the amount of credit which goes the think tank of the team. The Red Devils would not have won this tournament without the leadership, management, tactical astuteness, and sheer presence of Ammar Zaheer and Saqib Akbar.

Finally, the Think tank