Another fortnight without a break, another Musings that gets to cover two weeks' worth of ISL action. And some action it's been.
We muse, then, on matchweeks 18 and 19.
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Owen Coyle is feeling the pressure, and then some
After Chennaiyin got smacked around by the Kerala Blasters at home, Owen Coyle trained his guns on ISL commentator Robin Singh in the post-match briefing. The reason for his ire? An admittedly poor decision to send Wilmar Jordan Gil off for a flailing hand in the 37th minute. You can understand why Coyle was angry, but he's seen worse and reacted better. His loss of control in going after Robin hinted at a deeper issue.
11th in the league, ten points off the playoffs pace, without a win in their last seven (and just one, against Hyderabad, in their last 12), Chennaiyin's season has completely derailed. Quiet fan protest has now found voice, both online and off, and it appears evident that Coyle is feeling the heat. Can he buckle down and turn it around for a late unlikely charge for the top 6?
The Blasters soap opera rolls on
A stumble in Kolkata against a fired up East Bengal. Beating neighbours Chennaiyin comprehensively a few days later. A normal couple of matches in what's been a proper rollercoaster of a season for the Blasters. But, but... a win and a loss? That's it? Well, no.
In the dying minutes of that game against Chennaiyin, arguably their performance of the season, Adrian Luna and Noah Sadaoui came this close to Lee Bowyer-Kieron Dyer part II. Luna was furious Sadaoui had shot instead of passing when 3-on-1, Sadaoui was furious because he saw that as a legitimate shooting opportunity, and Ishan Pandita (the free-est of the three on that counter, and most aggrieved party in all this) had to play the role of peacemaker. Now, of course, both Luna and Sadaoui are great professionals, and probably hashed it out in the dressing room immediately or at training the next day, but that little moment was another reminder that there is no such thing as a regular matchweek for the Kerala Blasters.
Hyderabad really are great spoilsports
First, they pulled off draws (that probably deserved more) against title challengers FC Goa and Bengaluru. Then they pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat a very strong Jamshedpur outfit. Positive results against three of the best teams this season... and all done through solid performances. Shameel Chembakath has done a stellar job since taking over and his team has inadvertently done quite the job in ensuring Mohin Bagan get a free-ish run to the league shield.
What's more, they're great fun to watch. The goals that brought them back against Jamshedpur -- Joseph Sunny's sublime touch and finish plus Andrei Alba's long-range howitzer -- exemplifies this.
Sure, like they did in the hammering by NorthEast United, they still sometimes slip into the poor habits that saw them start the season so slowly but the difference from week 1 to week 9 is stark: credit to Chembakath and the team for that.
Alaeddine, the genie, can only do so much
There are dream debut seasons, and there's whatever Alaeddine Ajaraie is having in ISL 2024-25. 18 goals the man has now, the joint-most any player has ever scored in a single season and with five more games to go just in this league phase, that 'joint' won't be there for much longer.
A force of goal-plundering nature, Alaeddine has been the genie NorthEast United have craved for so long, and his goals are powering them along in their quest for a place in the playoffs. But will it be enough?
Take their game against Odisha on Monday, for instance. Alaeddine scored the two goals that put his team 2-1 up, but from the moment he got taken off it seemed inevitable Odisha would equalise -- and they did. Alaeddine's face at that moment made for quite the picture: it can't be all on him.
With just one win in their last six matches, their winning momentum from earlier in the season has stalled... while they maybe fourth in the table as things stand, they need to rediscover it pronto to keep away the charge that will surely come from those below them.
Jamshedpur are the business
Javier Siverio scoring braces. Lazar Cirkovic scoring stunners. Mohammed Sanan sitting down fullback after fullback. Javi Hernandez doing whatever he likes. Beating Manolo Marquez's high-flying Goa 3 - 1 with 38% possession. Hello, Khalid Jamil, Indian football is a better place with you in it.
Jamil's men have been in a proper run of form in this back half (especially at home), and while their poor early away form may have cost them a proper tilt at Mohun Bagan and their league shield, the playoffs will present a massive opportunity. Unlike the shield, the destination of the ISL cup is by no means a foregone conclusion, and Jamil's Jamshedpur are the main reason for that.
Speaking of, can we just crown Mohun Bagan champions now?
It's not just the fact that no one has conceded fewer goals than Mohun Bagan this season, it's that the next lowest have conceded eight more...and only one team has scored more. This season has been one long, nearly unbroken, exhibition of this Bagan squad's vast talents.
That league shield oughtn't be moving from the Bagan tent in the maidan now. Last season, they won it with 48 points in 22 games. This season they already have 43 in 19... and there's no one within striking distance -- not unless an out-of-the-blue implosion happens.
The Bengaluru implosion continues
Oh, what an implosion it's been. From leading the league to being tight challengers at the top to now barely clinging onto a top 6 post, it's been quite a back half to the season for Bengaluru FC. They have drawn one and lost five of their last six matches and the manner of the latest defeat underlines just how fast their freefall has become.
They took the lead only to be pegged back inside six minutes against Punjab. They then conceded again, before a stunning late equaliser in the 92nd minute. A draw in a match like this, seized in such a dramatic manner, might just have been the turning point Gerard Zaragoza and his men needed - but Luka Majcen sliced through their defence to score in the 96th minute and that was that.
With Jamshedpur coming to the Kanteerava next, Bengaluru will need to pull off something special to ensure they get some momentum going and keep what's become an elusive playoff place for them.
Mumbai City and Odisha are hanging on
Looking on most gleefully at said BFC implosion are Odisha and Mumbai City. Both have shown glimpses of how good they can be (sample Isak's equaliser vs NEUFC) without doing anything that would mark them out as special. A loss here, a draw there, a win now and then, and they have just kept on keeping on all season long.
Mumbai don't concede much (second-best), but they don't score much (fourth worst); Odisha score a lot (joint second-best), but they concede a lot too (fourth worst); but in all this they have kept within range of the playoffs. Mumbai are sixth, and Odisha seventh, but if BFC keep slipping they are well poised to move a place up each.
Can Punjab mount a late rush?
The team mostly like to make a charge from outside the current playoff spots, though, looks to be Punjab FC. Another team that started strong before petering into mediocrity, Luka Majcen's late winner against BFC was exactly the push they needed to remind themselves that they are so much better than they have shown recently. With a match in hand over Odisha and Mumbai and two over the Blasters, BFC and NEUFC, they really could make the race for the playoffs a thrilling finish.