Amine Chermiti - The Tunisian marksman propelling Mumbai City's ISL dreams

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The former Hertha Berlin striker is all praises for his coach and has been impressed by the professionalism in the ISL...

Patience is a virtue all top strikers must possess. Life in the opponent's penalty box is, more often than not, tough. Despite running around for 90 minutes, all one might get is a half-chance and it might come at a time you might be least expecting it. A striker has to be patient and vigilant to cash in on the same.

Mumbai City FC marksman Amine Chermiti is someone who knows the value of being patient. A love for fishing - his favourite hobby when off the field - means that patience is almost second nature for Chermiti. And he has already shown that quality in Mumbai City's Indian Super League (ISL) opener against Kerala Blasters. Despite being on the backfoot for large swathes of the game, Chermiti was alert enough to pounce on the slightest mistake by Kerala Blasters late on in the game and hand his team all three points.

"I love fishing and I like diving. For an overseas player, it is very hard to come here and just sit in our rooms. I enjoy fishing. You must be patient. One of the best things that help me is fishing. You can spend all day without catching fish but you learn patience," Chermiti told Goal.

Not only did Chermiti's goal introduce the striker to Indian fans, it also boosted the ISL and Mumbai City's profile in Tunisia.

"I like a challenge and a new experience. It is good for me to come here. I am so happy and a lot of Tunisians are now following Mumbai City FC. A lot of people back home saw the ISL opening ceremony. Mumbai City is now famous after I scored in the first game. A lot of Tunisian media is talking about Mumbai City now. The Tunisian fans are crazy about football," Chermiti explained.

The 31-year-old might not be able to enjoy his favourite hobbies here in India but he has been left impressed by the facilities on offer at the club and the professional way in which the ISL has been organised.

"My first contact with Mumbai was the coach (Jorge Costa) and then I got my information about the conditions from social media and the internet. I was surprised when I came here. The medical staff and everything else, the conditions are all good. Whatever you expect from a professional club is there (in Mumbai). And you can compare the ISL to a big league in Europe (in terms of the organisation). The media, travel and everything is in order," he said.

The Tunisian also spoke on how he had to adapt to the Indian conditions and what is different when it comes to playing as a striker in India.

"In India, the engagement is high at the start of games between the players. It is not easy for a striker because the weather is not like in Europe. You have to conserve your energy and know when you must challenge and when you must be clever. What I have some idea is that in the first half, you won't have a lot of space. Sometimes you get only one chance. In the second half, the players are tired and concentration goes down and you get more chances," he assessed.

Chermiti's thought-process fits Mumbai City coach Jorge Costa's philosophy as well. The Portuguese sets his team to be well-organised at the back and hit teams when their concentration goes down. No wonder Chermiti has taken up the centre-forward role for the coach, with last season's topscorer Moudou Sougou playing a supporting role.

"It is very important to have a manager who is a coach on the field and a good friend off the field. You get a positive vibe from him outside the field and on the field, you try your best under him. He gives us positive energy and we have good team spirit," stated the striker.

Chermiti is well travelled around the globe. He has played in Africa, Europe and Asia before coming to India. He was tipped for big things as a striker, ever since he played a starring role for Tunisian club ÃƒÂ‰toile Sahel in the African Champions League in 2007 which was their first ever continental title. He scored 8 goals, including a winner in the two-legged final against Egyptian giants Al Ahly.

"The CAF Champions League final against Al Ahly was a big thing. They are a big club with big traditions. We had a draw in the first leg and we went to Egypt for the second leg. We had no chance because you are playing against a big club in a huge stadium full of 80000 supporters. But we won the final and it was the first in the history of my club," he chimed.

He had already made a mark with the Tunisian national team as well. Such performances saw Hertha Berlin sign Chermiti, with current Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre playing a huge role in recruiting him. But injuries cut short his promising stint and he was loaned to Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad. Soon, he moved to FC Zurich where he would enjoy a productive spell which also included several appearances in the Europa League in addition to silverware.

"Europe is a good place to learn. When you play in the big leagues at a young age, you will learn a lot. When I was in Berlin, I was under Lucien Favre. He brought me there from Tunisia. But I had an injury there. Also, in Tunisia, there was a lot of pressure on me especially when you play in the national team," he reasoned.

While he also played in France, Kuwait and Tunisia after leaving Zurich, he cherishes the memory of playing Asian Champions League final for Al Ittihad in 2009 where they were beaten 2-1 by South Korean club Pohang Steelers.

Now, his focus is solely on Mumbai City. Going by how the season has started for the Islanders, Chermiti will play a key role in their bid to finally land the ISL title. The jovial yet determined Tunisian sounds up for the challenge.

2019-10-30 10:00:04