At the end of Matchweek 2, we have an unexpected sight at the top of the Indian Super League standings with Bengaluru FC, Punjab FC, and Jamshedpur FC leading the way with two wins in their opening two games.
ISL Standings | ISL Results and Fixtures
You can finds the facts and the numbers from the matchweek in our report here, but we’re back to muse again on the good and bad that happened in the last week in the ISL.
Luna-less Blasters have lift-off
It was threatening to be a repeat of their opening game against Punjab for the Kerala Blasters in front of another raucous crowd in Kochi. They had a chance or two in the first half, but it was largely dull and uninspiring – a far cry from the all-action, 100 miles an hour football they played for large parts under Ivan Vukomanovic.
However just when they needed a hero with their inspirational captain still missing, their big summer signing stepped up. Noah Sadaoui scored a stunning equaliser after PV Vishnu had given East Bengal the lead. He dribbled past a couple of East Bengal defenders like they weren’t there, and his finish was unerring.
Kochi found its voice, and then the Blasters took over. Their performance in the last 30 minutes created such pressure that Kwame Peprah’s eventual winner was the expected outcome.
Curious East Bengal substitutions (again)
Time is running out for Carles Cuadrat, and fast. East Bengal fell to their fourth straight defeat in competitive fixtures, and once again Cuadrat’s decisions will have to come under the scanner.
Last week, his insistence on not playing Dimitrios Diamantakos and Madih Talal together cost them a point or maybe three against Bengaluru. This week, just as Diamantakos was hitting his stride in the early part of the second half, just as the Blasters defence was growing terrified of a man they knew all too well, Cuadrat hauled him off for Cleiton Silva.
Diamantakos had just set up Vishnu’s goal and had another presentable opportunity for himself. He was finding spaces where Blasters defenders weren’t, he was causing panic in opposition ranks, and thereby creating chances for those around him.
Cleiton didn’t get up to speed, didn’t hold up the ball well enough, and never really got into a shooting position either. It was an ineffective substitution made at an inopportune moment – coming just after Sadaoui had equalised for the Blasters.
Sunil Chhetri scales another peak
Indian football’s grand old man is now also the ISL’s all-time top-scorer, scoring his 63rd goal in the competition as Bengaluru beat Hyderabad FC 3-0. It was a struggle at times for the former champions, but the game flipped on its head the moment Chhetri came on.
Against a tiring opposition, further handicapped by barely any time in pre-season training, the speed of Chhetri’s mind enabled him to occupy spaces and make runs where the defenders didn’t want him to be. This could be a role in which we see a lot more of Chhetri this season. Gerard Zaragoza said after the game that it’s what he expects from his substitutes.
Bengaluru’s captain, with his mind speed against draining defences this season, could put up numbers that belie his 40 years of age.
Meanwhile, watch out for Hyderabad. It’s still early on in their season, but they showed signs at the Kanteerava of being a very well-coached side.
Khalid Jamil’s simplicity gives Jamshedpur bite
There’s nothing complicated about the style of play Khalid Jamil has his Jamshedpur side playing. They’re tough to break down, well-organised for the most part, and they don’t really bother with the aesthetics of the sport. But are they effective?
Stephen Eze is an embodiment of what Jamil wants from his defenders – just keep the ball as far away from goal as possible. They don’t play out of the back, they don’t have too many technical players in build-up deep in the midfield.
However, they have serious quality up front, which is going to make them a dangerous side this season. Just as they showed against Mumbai City, where Javi Hernandez and Jordan Murray combined for the three goals on the day, and then their defence suffocated Mumbai throughout, only conceding to two stunning strikes from long range.
Too early to panic, but enough to worry about for big guns
After playing two games each, FC Goa, Mumbai City FC, and Odisha FC have three points between them. All of them will believe that given the opponents they’ve played so far, they should have at least one win on the board.
Just like last week, Manolo Marquez was angry with his side’s performance, this time in a 1-1 draw against Mohammedan Sporting. Armando Sadiku’s 94th minute equaliser spared Goa the blushes, but it was a goal that Marquez said his team didn’t deserve.
Mumbai City were brilliantly marshalled by Jamshedpur, but Odisha made it too easy for Punjab in their 2-1 loss in Delhi. They showed none of the quick interchanges and exciting football this league has become used to seeing from Sergio Lobera’s teams.
The Spaniard himself has a task on his hands, as he’s struggling to find a balance to his side while fitting in all his best players as well. He dropped Ahmed Jahouh for this game against Punjab, while Hugo Boumous, Roy Krishna and Diego Mauricio all started. That didn’t work. So who’s next on the chopping block? Probably one of the two strikers.
The flying Keralites do the job for Punjab
Nihal Sudeesh and Leon Augustine have both been around Indian football for a few years now, more so the latter. Might this finally be their season of reckoning? They certainly have started that way. Leon put in a game-changing substitute’s performance against the Blasters last week, and then followed it up with the match-sealing goal against Odisha this week. Nihal, meanwhile, put Punjab on their way to victory, with a precise finish from the left wing.
Both players seem to be ones able to keep their calm in front of goal – a particularly important quality to have for young Indian attackers. And this has fueled Punjab FC’s excellent start to the season.
Bagan remain flimsy even in victory
Jose Molina really, really needed that win. Jason Cummings’s 87th minute winner eventually ensured Mohun Bagan saw off NorthEast United but not before an almighty scare. In the first half, Bagan were once again rather turgid, and were deservedly behind to two stunning goals from the Durand Cup champions.
Bagan were being cut open far too easily and far too often for their liking. However, eventually, they had too much quality on the field, and some luck as well. Subhasish Bose’s equaliser could well have been chalked off on another day for a foul on the goalkeeper.
Molina is too experienced to want his team to continue in the same way. He knows they cannot be conceding two or more goals as often as they are currently doing.
