The Indian Super League's second month begins, and with it the tenures of two new managers at the helm. Twenty goals were scored across six games this week, which is keeping in step with the high-scoring nature of the league this season. Here's what we learned.
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New beginnings, same old frailties for ATK Mohun Bagan
Juan Ferrando probably only had a solitary training session to impart any wisdom ahead of taking charge of ATK Mohun Bagan's game against NorthEast United. Ergo, it would be harsh to castigate him for a profligate, error-strewn performance as ATKMB rode their luck to walk away with a 3-2 win.
...wouldn't stop me though.
All of the Kolkata giants' goals profited from an element of luck, with NEUFC rather generously gifting their opponents two goals. ATK Mohun Bagan were a mess in defence, and whatever promising moves they made in attack were accompanied by some terrible finishing, barring Liston Colaco and Hugo Boumous. Ferrando packed his side with seven defensively-minded players to start with... and the results aren't encouraging. Watch this space, because this win only papered over the cracks.
Speaking of papering over cracks, FC Goa's somewhat safe appointment of Derrick Pereira, resulted in... more of the same. Prior to Ferrando's departure, Goa led possession stats throughout the league, while being rather underwhelming in the rest of their attacking numbers. Against Odisha, Goa kept 59% of the ball, but there was little to admire as they remained blunt in attack in a 1-1 draw.
Kerala Blasters can dream again
Long suffering Kerala Blasters fans can tentatively start to wish for a trophy once again, with their team now sitting pretty in third place, just three shy of league leaders Mumbai City FC. Granted, it's such a tight league at the top that Odisha in seventh place could leapfrog the Blasters with a big win in their next game.
Chennaiyin's defence was the subject of much praise in this column last week, but they were made to look decidedly second-rate by the Blasters. In Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Alvaro Vazquez the Blasters have the makings of a lethal frontline. It also helps that Sahal Abdul Samad has seemingly shrugged off the demons that have plagued him the last couple of years to find his scoring touch once more. Incredibly, the 24-year-old is now the league's top-scoring Indian, alongside Liston Colaco.
With Adrian Luna officially the league's most creative player so far (5 big chances created, two more than Ahmed Jahouh), Ivan Vukomanovic has the makings of a squad that should make the playoffs, at the very least.
Greg Stewart, MVP
Did we just witness the Goal of the season from Greg Stewart? 🔥👀#KBFCJFC #HeroISL #LetsFootball @JamshedpurFC pic.twitter.com/qKGAWLfGN9
- Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) December 26, 2021
Why bother with words for a goal like that?
Mumbai City need to sort out their defensive issues, pronto
Replacing the suspended Mourtada Fall with 23-year-old Mehtab Singh might not have been the most ideal option, but it was the hand Des Buckingham was dealt. After throwing away a 3-1 lead over NorthEast United FC to draw the game 3-3, Buckingham noted his side had to work better in their moments of defensive transition. However, the two goals MCFC conceded to allow NEUFC back into the match came from individual errors from Mehtab and Rahul Bheke. Fall's return may sort things out, but Mumbai have been leaking goals ever since the start of the season.
It would be risky to count on out-scoring their opponents every time, especially as the season progresses, so Mumbai City ought to place a renewed focus on their defence in the short term, even if it comes at the cost of a bit of their attacking impetus.
NorthEast are a mystery unto themselves
Khalid Jamil appeared to be relatively satisfied after the 3-3 draw against Mumbai City, but inside he must have been seething. A Gallego-less NEUFC faced the might of ATK Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City and scored five goals across two games. For any Jamil-led side in years gone by, that would be six points and two wins - instead NorthEast walk away from both fixtures with just a solitary point.
Yes, Jamil is blooding in a fair number of Indian players at the back, but for a man who's been able to sort out a defensive, counter-attacking team with ease in the past, these sort of results tend to spark concerns for his, and the club's future.
A word for Deshorn Brown though, who scored this ISL season's second hat-trick with a virtuoso No. 9 performance against Mumbai. If NEUFC are to somehow pull off a miracle and make the playoffs this season, Brown's goals are likely to play a very huge part.
Hyderabad good, SC East Bengal bad
As for the one remaining game that happened this week that we failed to touch on so far, Hyderabad remained good, SC East Bengal remained bad, and the game between them finished 1-1. That's football for you.