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A title race, a report and a roster
Plus: ISL's crowded top half, Amelia Valverde’s report and Khalid Jamil’s selections.
“It is evident that Mohun Bagan will win the league.” I was reminded of that comment in early March from an Indian Super League club CEO when Mumbai City FC came, saw and conquered the ISL champions. Their attacking might, abundance of India players, and the Revociferous backing of nearly 30,000 at Salt Lake stadium was not enough for Mohun Bagan Super Giant to head into the international break in pole position.
To Mumbai City FC went that honour. Knocking Mohun Bagan off their perch is a special feeling for any ISL team. To do it in a season where City Football Group exited and where their players, unlike those at Mohun Bagan, had to take pay cuts was enormous, said head coach Petr Kratky. It was appropriate that after the 1-0 win Kratky spoke of spirit, belief and putting bodies on the line.
The defeat meant Mohun Bagan blew a chance to put clear water between them and the rest. A win at home and they would have been on 16 points—three clear of Jamshedpur FC and five more than the rest of the top five. It is the kind of difference that can be hard to bridge in a short season. “Now we are in a fight, on the same points as Jamshedpur whom we play next,” said Sergio Lobera, the Mohun Bagan head coach.
As Mumbai City FC delight, he has a lot to dwell on. Not being able to convert any of the 17 corner-kicks being one. The lopsidedness of a roster where two from among Dimitrios Petratos, Jason Cummings and Jamie Maclaren must be played out of position is another. The absence of a holding midfielder such as Joni Kauko is a third.
With three points separating the first and the fifth teams and four between the toppers and FC Goa who are sixth, this looks like a proper title race. One that was livened by East Bengal putting seven past a very hapless Mohammedan Sporting, the joint-highest margin of victory in ISL’s brief history. It was also the first time in ISL that a team won three penalties.
Things are tight in the bottom half too with a mere five points between the ninth and the 14th teams. Making the most of their numerical advantage, Odisha FC surprised NorthEast United away, Punjab FC beat a listless Bengaluru FC and though they have pulled things back with a draw against Mohun Bagan and full points against Inter Kashi, that result may have hastened the end of Renedy Singh’s time as interim head coach with the club naming Pep Muñoz in his place till the end of next season.
Not bad going for a season that was almost aborted. Had that happened, who knows where Noufal PN would have been. The left-side forward got his chance only because Bipin Singh left for East Bengal.
Valverde’s report
Chance is what Amelia Valverde got, being parachuted into the senior women’s team set-up and appointed head coach around 45 days before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Sanfida Nongrum and Manisha Kalyan scored excellent goals but India’s performance was not enough for her to be given a longer contract, the technical committee of the AIFF has decided.
Which raises the question as to why did the same committee appoint Valverde when Crispin Chettri and Priya PV had guided the team to the finals; India having qualified for the first time?
Valverde’s analysis doesn’t tell you anything you didn’t know. And you wouldn’t need to be a coach at two World Cup finals to state that a longer club season and utilising FIFA windows can help the national team.
But the report does make the point about the need for a sports psychologist to work individually and collectively with the first team. It also highlights some gaps in the preparation. Whoever comes in next—Anthony Andrews is tipped to get the job nearly three years after he was appointed and then removed because the players wanted Thomas Dennerby to continue—should insist on bridging them and asking for a mind coach. It can only help India improve.
Jamil banks on experience
It was with an eye on building for the future that Khalid Jamil chose six new players for the squad to Bangladesh last November. Two more, Macarton Louis Nickson and Brison Fernandes, had played only once. No one from Mohun Bagan was picked as Jamil focused on the young ones. That seemed the right thing to do with India already eliminated.
That was then. Ryan Williams should finally make his India debut but Jamil’s squad for Hong Kong isn’t big on young players. And there are six from Mohun Bagan in the 23. One reason why the taciturn head coach has preferred experience over enterprise could be that the under-23s and under-20s are also on assignment.
PLAY OF THE WEEK
