We're only two weeks away from the conclusion of the league stage of the Indian Super League, but things remain as unpredictable as ever. Six teams remain in the hunt for playoff spots, after a week which saw three teams eliminated and the title contenders take part in some blockbuster fixtures. The ISL, as ever, keeps delivering. Here's what we learned this week:
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The ISL's title-race is the best in world football
Manchester City lead the Premier League by six points. Real Madrid lead LaLiga, also by six points. Bayern lead the Bundesliga by six points, while PSG lead Ligue 1 by 13 points.
The ISL, meanwhile, has four teams vying for the league shield. Two absolute blockbuster fixtures this week exemplified the very best attribute of this league. Jamshedpur's 3-2 win over Mumbai City was a thrill-a-minute ride and climaxed with two penalties to either side in the final minutes. Kerala Blasters were staring at a hugely important win over ATK Mohun Bagan, before Joni Kauko levelled things in injury time. Even Hyderabad had a couple of nervy moments in their 3-2 win over FC Goa towards the end.
There isn't another league where one can flit from agony to ecstasy in a matter of seconds with such regularity. One wonders how fans of these four teams are dealing with their elevated heart-rates every three days for two hours. It's even more impactful because none of the four title-contenders have any glaring weaknesses and are equally strong, thus relegating predictions to rely entirely on ... luck.
Bengaluru's frontline dilemma continues
Marco Pezzaiuoli has overseen a run of three wins in BFC's last five games, including victories over Kerala Blasters and Jamshedpur. He has chopped and changed his frontline in each of these five games. The only player to start in all three victories? Udanta Singh. The Bengaluru winger seems to have been around forever, but at the age of 25, is only just approaching his peak years. He has been delivering of late, as well, which gives Pezzaiuoli a bit of a conundrum.
Sunil Chhetri and Udanta share an understanding borne out of years of playing together - yet, to include Chhetri means leaving out one of Prince Ibarra and Cleiton Silva, who have performed fairly well this season. All that chopping and changing becomes doubly damaging considering the varied playstyle of each of the four individuals, who cannot rely on a teammate slotting in and performing in a consistent system.
Bengaluru still have faint hopes of making the playoffs, but should they even manage to do so, Pezzaiuoli better have his front three sorted by then.
Eliminated teams don't inspire much hope
Five teams (SC East Bengal, NorthEast United FC, FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC, and Odisha FC) have been eliminated from playoff contention so far. As the post-mortem begins, a common thread amongst all teams will be the lack of positivity for the next season. Barring FC Goa, who have responded well to Juan Ferrando's shock departure with flashes of brilliance, there's very little to hope from the rest for next season. NorthEast might consider themselves unlucky, but to reach the playoffs would've been punching above their weight anyway.
SC East Bengal only just managed to take part in this edition of the ISL and now that reports have emerged of their primary sponsor not willing to invest once more, the Kolkata giants face yet another uncertain off-season that will once again have ramifications on the pitch. It'll take a miracle for Mario Rivera to conjure up something resembling a team next season and end the vicious cycle.
Chennaiyin and Odisha are trundling along with interim coaches, and this week ended their slim hopes of a playoff spot. Both teams have failed to take advantage of the Indian talent within their ranks, with some middling performances from their foreign contingent as well. The pair are also left with very unbalanced squads, which will require significant investment in the transfer market to correct. One wonders if the ownership will be willing to invest heavily once more, given their paltry return this season.
Deshorn Brown underlines NorthEast's season of what-ifs
A fully-fit again Deshorn Brown made his much anticipated return to the starting lineup for NorthEast United against Bengaluru FC and put in a stunning performance that will only rub salt into Khalid Jamil's wounds. The 2-1 win came largely because of Brown's contributions, and his penchant for scoring out of nothing came to the fore once more.
Brown was a constant thorn in BFC's side, running Yaya Banana ragged for much of the match. The cross that Brown scored from had an xG of 0.05, but when you can pull off a glancing header with perfect loop and accuracy, it's enough to turn a game on its head.
Khalid Jamil has watched his striker complete the full 90 minutes only seven times this injury-hit season. The NEUFC coach will be left wondering what could have been achieved had Federico Gallego stayed fit, adding Marcelinho, Brown and VP Suhair to the mix. Not many defences in the league would want to face that.
Sandesh Jhingan, oh dear.
What's said in a dressing room in football is sacrosanct for a reason -- post-game and half-time are charged atmospheres, with emotions running high. Footballers, never the most diplomatic of individuals, have been known to say some absolutely stupid things. On the sidelines after ATKMB's 2-2 draw against Kerala Blasters, Jhingan indulged in the absolutely stupid, claiming that playing with his teammates was akin to playing with women, with the derogatory implication there for all to see.
Even accounting for things said in the heat of the moment, the fact that Jhingan even had this sexist thought within him is disappointing. What's even more disappointing is that his first instinct was to brush it aside as a mis-step and tender a non-apology on Twitter (the old 'I'm sorry if what I said offended you' yarn). One would hope that such a senior figure in Indian football would be capable of self-reflection and admitting fault. Eventually, that reflective apology did arrive, but the stain will sadly, always remain.
Do better, Mr. Jhingan. You're capable of it.