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So far, so good
It has started well. Like Mario Zagallo and Gerd Mueller, will 13 be a good number for ISL?
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The year’s last international break can mean different things for different coaches. Demolished in Auckland, Khalid Jamil could be thinking if the India cap came too early for some. Freshly out of a job, Manolo Marquez may be seeking a complete break from all things football, if only to recharge and return to management.
For Enzo Maresca, it is a time to understand why Manchester City have not kept a clean sheet since beating Liverpool away; a statistic that has contributed to three successive league defeats after seven straight wins.
For Michael Carrick, it meant supervising training sessions even while awaiting a “thank you” card which finally came on Thursday. And because the two are related, it could have Mauricio Pochettino on a trans-Atlantic flight days before the USA host a Concacaf League quarter-final against Haiti. That would be some development given that not long ago Pochettino was telling anyone who cared to listen that he was going to be USA coach for the next four years.
“……We signed the contract because we really believe that we are going to be four years there. Because if not, it’s bad,” he said, after a new deal with USA. But all’s fair in love, war and football. The Argentine qualified his comment by saying: “But in life nothing is sure. Less in football.”
“Minimise losses”
For those who work in boardrooms, this is a time to take a set of readings on how things have been. Doing that as the 13th season of the Indian Super League (ISL) paused for the first time was crucial because never before were certain aspects of the competition the clubs’ responsibility. Last season was a low bar –that it happened was a feat in itself for which the Union sports ministry and the AIFF deserve credit – but even compared to how it was when the federation’s commercial partner's word was final, things have been satisfactory.
“The owners’ target is to minimise losses. That we will be able to achieve through the central revenue pool,” said Mandar Tamhane, CEO of NorthEast United FC (NEUFC). “I don’t see any money going out of our pockets to execute the league.”
In itself, that would be a big plus. Four partners, including the first title sponsor in three years, are on board and between them, league costs have been covered. “They are quality brands,” said Tamhane, referring to MG Motors India, Nippon Paints, Nivia and EA Sports. “Shows that corporate India is alive to Indian football. And shows that if you have the right person as CEO, such deals can be cut.” The “right person” is Karan Yadav who joined days before the season started on October 10.
The idea of making matches available on YouTube has been a hit. Tired of breadcrumbs from broadcasters apparently because no one watches domestic football, the clubs took AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey’s advice to free stream on YouTube and the result has been fantastic.
The opening week alone had 65 million views. “Just shows India is ready for football,” said NEUFC owner John Abraham. And the fans are back at Kerala Blasters.
A club official said the number of unique views has crossed 100 million going into the break after 28 of the 163 matches were completed. Those games have seen 82 goals (2.92 goals per game) with 23 of them coming after the 80th minute. Four goals have come in the 90+5 minute, with Punjab FC getting two of them, as per data provided by the league.
Facts in figures
Sporting Delhi scored thrice after the 73rd minute to turn a 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 win, a result that had Marquez leaving Mumbai City FC. Delhi led against Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan and FC Goa but it was in the game they trailed that Tomasz Tchorz’s young team notched up their first win.
Punjab FC’s Raphael Messi Bouli has scored the fastest goal (39 seconds) and in 90+5, both against Odisha FC. The 34-year-old Cameroonian is among nine players with three goals each leading the race for the Golden Boot. Defending champions East Bengal (Ake Arnaud Loba and Dani Ramirez) and current leaders Mohun Bagan Super Giant (Dejan Drazic and Lee Erwin) have two each on that list.
The team with the maximum clean sheets? NEUFC (3). They are second in the standings, are one of the two unbeaten teams in the league (Bengaluru FC being the other) and have put down an early marker by beating Mohun Bagan.
NEUFC also had former Golden Boot winner Alaaeddine Ajaraie missing a penalty with virtually the last kick of the game, against Odisha FC. The match ended 0-0. And they dropped two points at Bengaluru FC for conceding in 90+5. The season started with former champions Bengaluru FC being given a scare by SC Delhi and paused with East Bengal being stunned 5-3 by Chennaiyin FC who lost to Mohun Bagan through a late goal.
“When energy is low, it is impossible to win in football,” said Antonio Lopez Habas. The East Bengal coach was referring to a fixture congestion that had them playing in Kolkata, Goa, Pune, Muscat and Chennai in 21 days. Habas also said he didn’t have the squad depth needed to rotate players. “We had only one defender on the bench,” he said after the match where East Bengal missed Anwar Ali with injury.
Cautionary tale
The first set of games saw Soham Varshneya, Vinith Venkatesh and Lalrinliana Hnamte score. Hnamte’s form and a spate of injuries led to him getting an India cap on Thursday.
New players getting noticed is always a good thing, but as Igor Stimac said in the context of Jay Gupta after the full back had had a few good games with FC Goa, consistency is key. Something Indian players are often not good at. Sivasakthi Narayan is injured, but he could be used to make the same point. After a breakout season in 2022-23, he struggled to hold his place in Bengaluru FC’s first team.
FC Goa writing to AIFF and Panos Dilmperis hinting about it after beating Odisha showed that the clubs’ pet peeve –refereeing – would be aired early in the season. On the issue of being upset though, there was nothing to beat Tchorz berating a player for leaving the pitch late. It led to Delhi playing with 10 and FC Goa drawing level through Alex Vallejo. The goal was clocked at 90+5 minutes.
For some the number 13 works like a charm. Mario Zagallo and Gerd Mueller, for instance. Will it for ISL13?
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