Hyderabad FC reclaimed their lead at the top of the Indian Super League standings, although title rivals Mumbai City FC did not feature this week, while the other teams in the mix have a game in hand. With the season almost at its mid-point, the league's reached the 150 goal mark, with 21 of those coming in this week's fixtures, upon which we reflect:
Ivan Vukomanovic is brewing his next great team
Kerala Blasters scored three very good goals against Bengaluru FC, with the celebrations for each one resulting in the stadium bouncing in delight. Yet, the roof would have been blown clear off had Rahul KP finished the Blasters' best move of the night, a symphony of one-touch football that ended with the local lad blazing over with the goal at his mercy. The 3-2 scoreline indicates that BFC had made this a competitive game, yet in reality, it was anything but.
Ivan Vukomanovic has always asked for patience and after only earning three points from his first four games... it was a big ask. Five consecutive wins have followed, the best of any Blasters side in history, while making them the most in-form team in the league. There's a beautiful fluidity to their attack, with Ivan Kaliuzhnyi and Adrian Luna floating all over the final third behind Dimitrios Diamantakos. Sahal Abdul Samad and Rahul can bomb down the wings or tuck in, as the situation demands. These combinations (and just the sheer amount of running) dragged a well-drilled Bengaluru defence all over the pitch - Mumbai are the only other team to score more than once against Simon Grayson's side.
Roughly midway into the season, the Blasters find themselves in the title race, four points behind leaders Hyderabad with a game in hand. It was always going to be a tall ask to repeat the heroics of last season, but Vukomanovic is a tall answer anyway. Watch this space, because Kerala might just be ending their trophy hoodoo soon.
Nasser El Khayati defies logic
An average of 45 minutes on the pitch from the seven matchday squads he's been a part of. An xG+xA total of 3.1 in 321 minutes of ISL football. At first glance, these are average numbers put up by a bit-part player. Yet Nasser El Khayati leads the league in goal involvements, turning that 3.1 into 11 (7G, 4A) - a massive overperformance rarely seen before. Five of those eleven came in Chennaiyin's 7-3 rout of NorthEast United, which probably had new boss Vincenzo Annese clamouring to return to the comforts of his Gokulam Kerala side facing Real Kashmir in the I-League once more.
NorthEast are hardly the scariest of opponents but El Khayati underlined the magic he possesses in his feet once more. The first goal was a finish of the highest order, made to look simple by the Dutchman as he caressed a bouncing ball into the net while running at full tilt, with a sliding defender in his way. The second a trademark drop of the shoulder to outfox three defenders before curling the ball into the top corner. The third a low drive from range across goal that gave Arindam Bhattacharya no chance. He then capped that off with two deliciously curled crosses that Petar Sliskovic and Julius Duker duly turned in. His xG and xA totals? 0.28 and 0.20 for this game - Thomas Brdaric has himself a footballing cheat code.
Alvaro Vazquez ends his drought
Since we are speaking of xG+xA totals, Alvaro Vazquez (4.9) is second only to Cleiton Silva (5.2) in the league. And yet, there are fifty (!) other footballers in the league who have managed two goal involvements all season, including rookie teammate Brison Fernandes, whose goal and assist came in 86 minutes of football (xG+xA of 0.6), compared to the 542 minutes it took Vazquez to do the same.
It's probably had manager Carlos Pena tearing his hair out all season, since Vazquez' underlying numbers are so good. He remains the same footballer that was a big part of Kerala's run to the final last year, and perhaps all he needed was to open his account for the dam to burst. Goa could certainly do with him finding form, as despite the 3-0 win over Odisha appearing impressive, all three goals came after their opponents were reduced to ten men following Nandhakumar Sekar's red card.
Hyderabad's love affair with screamers continues
53% of Hyderabad's goals this season have come from set-pieces, which presents the notion that this a dour team. Then you realise that Mohammad Yasir's golazo was technically a goal from a set-piece and that notion swiftly disappears. A throw in, flicked on to Yasir on the edge of the box, who controls it with his chest, and despite Ivan Gonzalez bearing down on him, volleys the ball into the top corner while having both feet of the ground. Some set-piece goal that.
This column has been quite vocal about Hyderabad's usual goalscorers underperforming their xG this season, but if Yasir and co. can continue turning 0.09 xG situations into goals... long may it continue.
ATKMB grind out the results once more
Three consecutive wins, three 1-0 victories - not something you'd readily associate with a Juan Ferrando side, but that's what ATK Mohun Bagan are now. They had their fair share of chances against Jamshedpur FC (who doesn't?), but laboured to find a breakthrough before Peter Hartley lost his head while conceding a late penalty. Hugo Boumous tucked it away, but Ferrando will be concerned at just fashioning 0.7xG from open play against Aidy Boothroyd's barely functional defence.
P.S. It was great to see Rafa Crivellaro feature in an ISL game once more. Fingers crossed we see more of him.