Week 20 of the Indian Super League saw Mumbai City FC becoming the earliest winners of League Shield with a thumping win over FC Goa while Odisha FC and Bengaluru FC secured important victories in the quest to seal playoffs spots. ATK Mohun Bagan, who are also in the contention for a spot in the playoffs, played out a goalless draw against Jamshedpur FC.
We muse on the latest round of action:
Mumbai City: champions
Let's just allow the numbers to do the talking -- 18 games, 14 wins, 4 draws. 46 points. 53 goals scored. A goal difference of +35.
League shield winners.
Mumbai City have really been quite something this season.
On Saturday, they conceded three but in typical fashion scored five of their own against FC Goa to seal what's been a record-breaking triumph. Greg Stewart was incredible, as was Lallianzuala Chhangte, as was Jorge Pereyra Diaz, as was... we could go on and name most everyone they put out at the Fatorda. It's this consistent equi-distribution of brilliance that has seen them do what they did this season.
Two more games now, and the title of 'Invincibles' is theirs.
Odisha gain ground on Goa
Behind Mumbai, the playoff race is properly heating up. The closest battle right now is between the three teams placed #5, #6, and #7. Bengaluru are 5th with 28 points while Goa and Odisha tied on 27 -- all of them having two games left.
Goa will be ruing their missed chance to pull clear of this pack, as last Monday's 1-1 draw with 10-man Odisha was followed by Goa losing and Odisha winning. You can't factor in other results, but they were 11 v 10 against their direct rival for about half-an-hour and they ought to have made that count.
"With colors bright and bold,
A symbol of pride, in tales of old.
With passion and spirit, you play with all your heart,
A team that stands tall, right from the start."A shining beacon, of what we all can be and more ��⚫️
WE ARE ODISHA ��#OdishaFC #AmaTeamAmaGame #HeroISL pic.twitter.com/g1z2vykB7k
- Odisha FC (@OdishaFC) February 11, 2023
Odisha, meanwhile, will be glad that they finally seem to have arrested the freefall they were on after a heady start to the season. Diego Mauricio's incredible form -- the one constant through the season -- will give them a boost ahead of the crucial run-in to the playoffs.
Kerala Blasters need to adapt to pressure
Kerala Blasters can play some incredible football -- sample their goals, and the number of quality chances they created against Chennaiyin. They can also play some incredibly insipid football -- sample the entire second half against Bengaluru.
There are two key factors at play here. One, they play better at home: take only home games and they are second in the table (21 points in nine), take only away games and they are sixth (10 points in nine). This is the kind of variance a team that has ambitions to challenge for the title can simply not afford to have.
Second, and this is probably related to the first... if Blasters go into half-time trailing, they tend to get very frustrated once they're out for the second, and all rhythm seems to fly out of the window. The two matches they have come from a goal down to win (against Bengaluru and Chennaiyin, both at home) they had (at least) equalised before the half-time break. It's hard to find a particular reason for this from the outside -- apart from a general breakdown in temperament when under pressure -- but if they are go to deep in the playoffs this is a concern Ivan Vukomanovic has to address on priority.
East Bengal, well...
As they showed in scoring three goals against NorthEast United they have a very decent attack and in Cleiton Silva they have one of the league's best players. He's the top-scorer in the league this season (with 12 goals) and that's quite incredible considering East Bengal have scored just 21 overall - 8th out of the league's 11 teams.
The problems start behind the front three (now four).
They have conceded 36 goals, three of them against bottom side NorthEast United and two of them against a Chennaiyin team that couldn't buy a win at home. Only NorthEast have conceded more. For a manager whose primary strength has always been considered to be drilling a defense, this is pretty damning.
As the season meanders to an end, the one spark that keeps the EB faithful going is probably that they can still play spoilsport for their dear neighbour's push for the playoffs. Just that they have to depend on moments of individual magic from Silva and co. for that to happen.
ATK Mohun Bagan, well...
Speaking of the dear neighbours: just how dull a watch are ATK Mohun Bagan these days? They don't concede many goals (15 in 18 games) but they don't score many either (20 in 18) and watching them has increasingly become a chore.
There was no better example of this than their game against a down-and-out Jamshedpur. They were out xG-ed (2.11 for Jamshedpur vs 1.45 for Bagan), out big chance-ed (2 vs 1) and simply outfought.
Before we let this point go, we'll leave you with this quote from Juan Ferrando's interview with the Hindustan Times earlier this week: "Normally, the local (Indian) players, when they have no success in one dribble, one cross or a one against one, they lose confidence. If the last match didn't go well, it affects performance in the next. And that often leaves you with eight players on the field."
Oh, and this completely unrelated quote from Des Buckingham, given to ESPN: "You can know as much about football as you want, but if you can't relate that to the people you work with... that relationship and being able to get that information across and how you do that is so important."
Roy Krishna is back
Thank you to all fans for creating such an electric atmosphere. Your passion & love makes it all worthwhile. We may have won on the pitch but you're the true winners. I couldn't be more proud of our team. You gave your all & because of that we've kept our hopes alive ❤️���� pic.twitter.com/WAdqmy3RPs
- Roy Krishna �������� (@RoyKrishna21) February 12, 2023
We saw peak 'Roy Krishna 1-0' when Bengaluru beat the Blasters on Sunday. Fit and firing, the goal he scored was the kind only he can. It was enough to win the game, and sometimes it's all that's needed to win the ISL (after the playoffs, let's be clear): Keep a tight defence and then let Roy Krishna do his thing.
If Bengaluru can weather the storm of the last two games (against Mumbai and Goa) and seal a playoff spot, it really is not too much of a leap to imagine 'Roy Krishna 1-0' taking them all the way to the cup.