The Indian Super League capped off an entertaining opening week and it gave us some significant insights of what lies in store ahead. The tournament kicked off with its usual glamour, where Bollywood stars caught the eyes with astonishing performances at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
Here are some striking takeaways from the week’s action:
An opening night full of controversies
Kerala Blasters and two-time champions, ATK raised the curtains in a game full of controversies. Despite taking an early lead through Carl McHugh, ATK stumbled and while they did miss a flurry of chances, sub-standard refereeing cost them the game.
Although the score-line read 2-1 in favour of the home team, there was much more to it than what met the eye. New signing Roy Krishna was instrumental in almost all of ATK’s attacks on the night. Minutes before the half-hour mark, the Fiji captain found David Williams, who beat his marker to put the ball into the back of the net, but the Australian was adjudged offside. Replays though, showed he was actually inside the line when the ball was played.
Minutes later, Michael Soosairaj was brought down in the penalty area and while everybody, including those watching on their TV sets, were braced for a penalty call, referee Ramaswamy Srikrishna waved his hands in disagreement.
— Soosairajmichael (@soosairajmichal) October 21, 2019
1. It was not offside in the early minutes
— Abhilash M (@abhilash__M) October 21, 2019
2. Penalty not given
3. Clear handball by Gning in the second half
Don't know what game you were watching.#IndianFootball #KERKOL
Two clear penalties and one wrongly called offside summed up ATK’s game that night.
The disagreement wasn’t limited to the field as Soosairaj took to social media in expressing his discontent. Kerala Blasters coach, Eelco Schattorie too joined the fray, but for the fans, his perspective was completely irrelevant.
Can Bengaluru do it without Miku?
Defending champions, Bengaluru FC began their season with a 0-0 draw against NorthEast United at home. This was, in fact, the first-ever goalless draw at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in ISL history.
There were some important talking points from the game, but the major takeaway was Miku’s absence. Miku, who used to have a telepathic understanding with captain Sunil Chhetri, left the club in August and his absence was clearly felt on the night. The team looked scattered, and the chemistry they showed in the last two seasons was missing too.
Read | Why Bengaluru FC won’t retain their ISL crown this season
And all this has made the team over-reliant on Chhetri for producing goals. The night could have been very different result had the likes of Michael Onwu, Udanta Singh and Ashique Kuruniyan not squandered glorious opportunities. After witnessing all of this, one can be sure that Miku’s absence will be a major issue for Bengaluru in the latter stages of the season.
Newcomers have a long way to go
Lack of experience for the newcomers Odisha FC and Hyderabad FC was visible as the teams began their campaign on losing terms. And while the former did put up a fight in both the games, the latter suffered a humiliating 5-0 loss at hands of ATK.
Odisha opened their account with an own goal from Rana Gharami and while they did find an equalizer, they failed to capitalize on the situation after Jamshedpur were reduced to 10 men inside 35 minutes. New singing Sergio Castel pounced on the opportunity and scored the late winner for his team.
Be it as it may, expect the teams to take these defeats as lessons for the future.
Read | Five Indian youngsters to watch for in ISL this season
ATK discovering old verve
The return of Antonio Habas, under whom ATK won the inaugural edition of ISL, has brought back the sense of exhilaration in the team and amongst the fans. A team which finished a lowly sixth last season is once again showing the signs of being a two-time champion. And all that has been made possible by smart singings.
📽 | A goal-feast in Kolkata tonight...👏🏻#KOLHYD #HeroISL #LetsFootball #TrueLove pic.twitter.com/jcK7bGHtb2
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) October 25, 2019
Just like old times, ATK have showcased sheer attacking instincts this season and barring the unfortunate defeat against Kerala in the opener, they have looked like a formidable unit. The additions of seasoned scores like Krishna and Williams, who formed a formidable partnership in the A-League at Wellington Phoenix, has only made ATK better.
Krishna, in particular, is becoming the heart and soul of ATK’s attacking unit, and his co-ordination with Williams is just fantastic. The credit should go to Habas for instilling the mojo back in the team. Soosairaj’s deployment at left wing-back has been another masterstroke from Habas, though he has insisted it wouldn’t be a permanent position for the 24-year-old.
Matches to look forward to:
FC Goa vs Bengaluru FC (October 28): A replay of last season’s final.
Chennaiyin FC vs ATK (October 30): A struggling Chennaiyin FC host rampant ATK at home.
NorthEast United vs FC Goa (November 1): A battle for supremacy.
Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @jayeshrane11
