We're almost a month into the season, and teams are starting to settle into slightly recognisable patterns. That doesn't mean it's been any less fun. Here's what we learned from the past week in the ISL:
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Hyderabad are adjusting well to Ogbeche
Last season, Hyderabad were led by Aridane Santana, a big centre-forward who liked playing with his back to goal, and being the fulcrum around which the little creative attackers could buzz around. This season, they are being led by Bartholomew Ogbeche, the kind of no. 9 that likes to ghost in between the centre-backs and play off their shoulder. The kind that says, 'give me the ball, I'll score'. The switch from Santana to Ogbeche required a fundamental shift in the way Hyderabad attacked - instead of using their centre-forward as a bouncing board, they now have to use him as the sharp end of the stick.
Against Bengaluru and NorthEast United, Ogbeche showed why it's worthwhile making such a major tweak to your style of play. He now has five goals in five games, and more importantly his team now appear to be on the same wavelength as him. If this understanding keeps growing - and there's no reason to doubt Manolo Marquez nous' in ensuring this happens - they will be a major challenger for top spot.
Goa are chaotic fun, but is it sustainable?
FC Goa beat SC East Bengal 4-3 in a match that saw them take the lead four times (once through a penalty and once through an own goal). Four days later, they beat Bengaluru FC 2-1 (another own goal providing the opener), despite playing for half-an-hour with a man short. At various points across both matches, there were moments that could have seen the result reverse itself. There were also moments where Goa might have gotten themselves more than just the single goal advantage. And that's a problem. They may have arrested a rather alarming slide with two back-to-back wins, but there needs to be drastic improvement to sustain this positive upswing. Juan Ferrando has a massive challenge on his hands here, and the fact that he's not shirking it at all is making for some compelling viewing.
The Chhetri question
Which brings us neatly to Bengaluru FC and Sunil Chhetri. Neither are the forces they used to be. It was only natural then that coach Marco Pezzaiuoli was asked if Chhetri's form (or lack thereof) was weighing his team down. It was also natural that Pezzaiuoli would back his captain and say it wasn't just a Chhetri issue, it was a team one. The truth, though, lies somewhere in between. Chhetri is obviously not responsible for some of the risible defending we've seen from Bengaluru (how do you leave the opposition striker unmarked when you are a man up?) or the stagnancy of the midfield. But he is responsible for missing two penalties and a couple of sitters he would have, as his coach said, 'scored with his eyes closed normally'.
Chhetri is underperforming his xG massively and the surety of touch that we normally associate with him seems to have gone AWOL. While you can see why Pezzaiuoli wants to allow Chhetri to play himself back into the kind of form that everyone knows he's capable of hitting, does he have enough time to do that? Writing Chhetri off is a fool's errand but with young and exciting attacking talents like Sivasakthi Narayanan and Bidyashagar Singh waiting in the wings, just how long can Pezzaiuoli wait? The questions will only become louder the longer this carries on.
Mumbai City roll on
Mumbai City are some outfit. They have scored 16 goals in five matches and if you ignore their lone loss (to Hyderabad) that's 15 in four. Goals are coming from everywhere - deep runs from midfield, from wingers cutting in, from defenders at set pieces and from their main man up top. They steamroll opponents that don't fight back, and those that do are grinded down to submission - two differing qualities that were on show vs. Jamshedpur this week.
If the first was a training exercise (they scored three unanswered goals), an Owen-Coyle-hairdryer inspired Jamshedpur put them under the cosh in the second. They conceded two goals, but a couple of clever substitutions and some smart game management saw Des Buckingham's men win it 4-2. They have more resources than most of the league, of course, but they certainly appear to know just how best to use it. They really will take some stopping this season.
ATK Mohun Bagan not so much
Ah, ATK Mohun Bagan. If Liston Colaco's superb opener against Chennaiyin brought back memories of their first two games, the way they clung on for a 1-1 draw for much of the game afterwards was a firm reminder of how poor they have been in their last two games. This is an inexplicable Jekyll-and-Hyde transformation that will be infuriating Antonio Habas and his desperate craving for consistency.
On Saturday, Chennaiyin were palpably superior for most of the game - Anirudh Thapa ran it from midfield - bossing possession, and creating more (and better) chances. The big names in the Bagan ranks were invisible, and you could see consistent gestures of 'chin up' from the sidelines and the goalkeeper. The match against struggling Bengaluru FC on Thursday could well tell us if Habas and his men have what it takes to fight this shroud of gloom that seems to have surrounded them.
NorthEast United have a problem, a big one
Four points in six games. Thirteen goals conceded and only six scored. This season they are everything that they weren't in the last - unorganised and porous in defence, wasteful in attack and rudderless in midfield. There have been personnel changes and injury concerns, but the difference in quality from earlier this (calendar) year is astounding. They concede the sloppiest goals and appear on the verge of collapse the moment an opposition takes the game seriously. Khalid Jamil has seen a few bad results in his time, but few have been by virtue of performances as poor as these. This current NorthEast United, is the antithesis of a Jamil side and more than anything, that must hurt him.
P.S. The fact that SC East Bengal have a point LESS than this NorthEast side is a mark of how poor they have been. Where's a good Robbie Fowler post-match interview when you need one?