One of the more intriguing facets of the Indian Super League has been the participation of "marquee players", who are recognised the world over. In theory, it is as much a marketing ploy – designed to promote the league globally – as a footballing one, aimed at introducing a star player who could carry the club’s hopes. In practice, though, it has proven to be very different.
In the inaugural season, marquee signings were more publicity-oriented than optimised for success on the pitch. Delhi Dynamos FC, for instance, will forever be known as Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero’s last professional club. But the team played faster and better without the veteran footballer on the pitch. It was the same story with Frenchman David Trezeguet at FC Pune City.
Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg played only a handful of minutes at Mumbai City FC owing to injury, while La Liga's Joan Capdevila and former English Premier League stars Robert Pires and David James failed to make the desired impact at NorthEast United FC, FC Goa and Kerala Blasters FC. Only Elano and Luis Garcia stood out as talismans at Chennaiyin FC and Atletico de Kolkata.
Clubs learned their lessons ahead of season two. Some, like Delhi and Mumbai, chose to go the marquee player-manager way to reduce spending. Others opted for younger, lesser-known marquee players who would be greater assets on the pitch rather than off it.
Unfortunately, the results haven't been great this season either. Halfway through season 2, here's take a look at the performance and impact of the designated marquee players.
Elano (Chennaiyin FC)
In the short history of the Indian Super League, only Elano has truly done justice to the marquee tag. With three goals and four assists in eight matches, the 34-year-old Brazilian midfielder oozes class and continues to be head and shoulders above any other player in the league.
Elano has been involved in all eight of Chennai's matches so far, starting one of them from the bench. His best performance came in a stunning 4-0 away demolition of FC Goa, when he combined with John Stiven Mendoza to wreak havoc. It speaks volumes of his impact that opposition teams have often ditched their primary plans solely to set up in a way that nullifies Elano.
Manager Marco Materazzi will have to rest him sooner rather than later. In a tight league, these could prove to be the matches that decide his side's fate this season.
Lucio (FC Goa)
The 37-year-old centre-back has put in impressive performances for FC Goa thus far. Manager Zico has praised Lucio's professionalism and declared him a "role model" for everyone at the club. He has started six matches, missing the other three because of injury.
Partnering with the volatile Gregory Arnolin, Lucio's experience and level-headedness has been and will remain vital for the Goan defence. Only in a 0-4 defeat to Chennaiyin FC was his lack of pace thoroughly exposed, which led to the manager making major tactical changes. Fitness permitting, he is likely to feature in all of Goa's games.
Simao Sabrosa (NorthEast United FC)
With his first touch of the game, Simao's sublime free-kick equaliser against Delhi further whet the appetite of NorthEast supporters, who have been longing to see him turnout regularly for the club. After recovering from a pre-season injury which saw him miss the opening three games, the Portuguese midfielder has started twice and featured as an impact substitute in three other games – scoring late on in two of them.
He has netted thrice in the ISL, coolly converting from the spot against both Chennaiyin and Atletico de Kolkata in pressure situations. In an NEUFC side that lacks experienced Indian players, Simao's presence could prove to be decisive in their bid to make the top four.
Nicolas Anelka (Mumbai City FC)
Mumbai's marquee player-manager hasn't fully recovered from a groin injury that sidelined him in the early part of the season. Anelka has made only one start and two substitute appearances.
The Frenchman's only start came during an emphatic 1-4 defeat to Kolkata at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. It was an underwhelming performance from Anelka – both as a player and a manager. His triple substitution at half-time was a naive move that played into Kolkata's hands. In the second half, he also chose to occupy the no. 10 position – a role in which an in-form Sunil Chhetri was excelling – and did not perform his defensive duties, leaving Mumbai exposed in midfield.
Anelka expects to play a part in Mumbai's upcoming matches, but he doesn't appear to be an inspirational leader. The club would probably take the single-minded striker over the player-manager right now.
Roberto Carlos (Delhi Dynamos)
One of football's greatest full-backs, the 42-year-old Roberto Carlos has obviously lost a lot of his magic. Before the ISL, he hadn't played professionally in three years. Carlos has made only one start and two substitute appearances. He has slotted himself into central midfield next to Hans Mulder.
His second-half presence against both FC Goa and Atletico provided necessary direction and guidance to the Dynamos on the field. However, when the Brazilian made his first start against NorthEast United at home, his lack of mobility was evident against the fast-paced visitors. The 42-year-old is a reliable player on the ball and is a handy asset if needed, but he shouldn't be in Delhi's first-choice starting XI.
Helder Postiga (Atletico de Kolkata)
The Portuguese forward promised so much in the opening game of the season, a 3-2 win in Chennai. Postiga injured himself while scoring his second goal that day and has been out of action ever since. In his absence, Kolkata have struggled to score – with fellow forward Iain Hume's hat-trick against Mumbai his only scoring performance in eight matches.
Postiga is expected to rejoin the squad on November 15 and the defending champions will be desperate for his services heading into the home stretch of the league.
Adrian Mutu (FC Pune City)
The Romanian hasn't been able to break into manager David Platt's starting XI. Questions have been raised about his exclusion and Platt's response has not been too encouraging for Mutu. "For me it is irrelevant who is termed the marquee player," said Platt.
Mutu, whom Platt calls "a proven goalscorer", has started two matches and made three substitute appearances. Before scoring a fantastic stoppage-time equalizer against FC Goa on Sunday, Mutu had done very little of note this season. Perhaps a maiden ISL goal will mark a resurgence of sorts for a striker who appeared to have fallen behind Pune's three other forwards -- Tuncay, Kalu Uche and Yendrick Ruiz --in the pecking order.
Carlos Marchena (Kerala Blasters)
The Spanish defender-cum-midfielder parted ways with the Kochi-based club midway through the season. Marchena reportedly failed to regain fitness from an injury in pre-season and played only 49 minutes for the club. Former Everton forward James McFadden is being lined up as a potential replacement.
In the inaugural season, marquee signings were more publicity-oriented than optimised for success on the pitch. Delhi Dynamos FC, for instance, will forever be known as Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero’s last professional club. But the team played faster and better without the veteran footballer on the pitch. It was the same story with Frenchman David Trezeguet at FC Pune City.
Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg played only a handful of minutes at Mumbai City FC owing to injury, while La Liga's Joan Capdevila and former English Premier League stars Robert Pires and David James failed to make the desired impact at NorthEast United FC, FC Goa and Kerala Blasters FC. Only Elano and Luis Garcia stood out as talismans at Chennaiyin FC and Atletico de Kolkata.
Clubs learned their lessons ahead of season two. Some, like Delhi and Mumbai, chose to go the marquee player-manager way to reduce spending. Others opted for younger, lesser-known marquee players who would be greater assets on the pitch rather than off it.
Unfortunately, the results haven't been great this season either. Halfway through season 2, here's take a look at the performance and impact of the designated marquee players.
Elano (Chennaiyin FC)
Source: IANS
In the short history of the Indian Super League, only Elano has truly done justice to the marquee tag. With three goals and four assists in eight matches, the 34-year-old Brazilian midfielder oozes class and continues to be head and shoulders above any other player in the league.
Elano has been involved in all eight of Chennai's matches so far, starting one of them from the bench. His best performance came in a stunning 4-0 away demolition of FC Goa, when he combined with John Stiven Mendoza to wreak havoc. It speaks volumes of his impact that opposition teams have often ditched their primary plans solely to set up in a way that nullifies Elano.
Manager Marco Materazzi will have to rest him sooner rather than later. In a tight league, these could prove to be the matches that decide his side's fate this season.
Lucio (FC Goa)
Source: Wikimedia Commons
The 37-year-old centre-back has put in impressive performances for FC Goa thus far. Manager Zico has praised Lucio's professionalism and declared him a "role model" for everyone at the club. He has started six matches, missing the other three because of injury.
Partnering with the volatile Gregory Arnolin, Lucio's experience and level-headedness has been and will remain vital for the Goan defence. Only in a 0-4 defeat to Chennaiyin FC was his lack of pace thoroughly exposed, which led to the manager making major tactical changes. Fitness permitting, he is likely to feature in all of Goa's games.
Simao Sabrosa (NorthEast United FC)
Source: IANS
With his first touch of the game, Simao's sublime free-kick equaliser against Delhi further whet the appetite of NorthEast supporters, who have been longing to see him turnout regularly for the club. After recovering from a pre-season injury which saw him miss the opening three games, the Portuguese midfielder has started twice and featured as an impact substitute in three other games – scoring late on in two of them.
He has netted thrice in the ISL, coolly converting from the spot against both Chennaiyin and Atletico de Kolkata in pressure situations. In an NEUFC side that lacks experienced Indian players, Simao's presence could prove to be decisive in their bid to make the top four.
Nicolas Anelka (Mumbai City FC)
Source: STR / AFP
Mumbai's marquee player-manager hasn't fully recovered from a groin injury that sidelined him in the early part of the season. Anelka has made only one start and two substitute appearances.
The Frenchman's only start came during an emphatic 1-4 defeat to Kolkata at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. It was an underwhelming performance from Anelka – both as a player and a manager. His triple substitution at half-time was a naive move that played into Kolkata's hands. In the second half, he also chose to occupy the no. 10 position – a role in which an in-form Sunil Chhetri was excelling – and did not perform his defensive duties, leaving Mumbai exposed in midfield.
Anelka expects to play a part in Mumbai's upcoming matches, but he doesn't appear to be an inspirational leader. The club would probably take the single-minded striker over the player-manager right now.
Roberto Carlos (Delhi Dynamos)
Source: IANS
One of football's greatest full-backs, the 42-year-old Roberto Carlos has obviously lost a lot of his magic. Before the ISL, he hadn't played professionally in three years. Carlos has made only one start and two substitute appearances. He has slotted himself into central midfield next to Hans Mulder.
His second-half presence against both FC Goa and Atletico provided necessary direction and guidance to the Dynamos on the field. However, when the Brazilian made his first start against NorthEast United at home, his lack of mobility was evident against the fast-paced visitors. The 42-year-old is a reliable player on the ball and is a handy asset if needed, but he shouldn't be in Delhi's first-choice starting XI.
Helder Postiga (Atletico de Kolkata)
Source: IANS
The Portuguese forward promised so much in the opening game of the season, a 3-2 win in Chennai. Postiga injured himself while scoring his second goal that day and has been out of action ever since. In his absence, Kolkata have struggled to score – with fellow forward Iain Hume's hat-trick against Mumbai his only scoring performance in eight matches.
Postiga is expected to rejoin the squad on November 15 and the defending champions will be desperate for his services heading into the home stretch of the league.
Adrian Mutu (FC Pune City)
Source: Wikimedia Commons
The Romanian hasn't been able to break into manager David Platt's starting XI. Questions have been raised about his exclusion and Platt's response has not been too encouraging for Mutu. "For me it is irrelevant who is termed the marquee player," said Platt.
Mutu, whom Platt calls "a proven goalscorer", has started two matches and made three substitute appearances. Before scoring a fantastic stoppage-time equalizer against FC Goa on Sunday, Mutu had done very little of note this season. Perhaps a maiden ISL goal will mark a resurgence of sorts for a striker who appeared to have fallen behind Pune's three other forwards -- Tuncay, Kalu Uche and Yendrick Ruiz --in the pecking order.
Carlos Marchena (Kerala Blasters)
Source: Wikimedia Commons
The Spanish defender-cum-midfielder parted ways with the Kochi-based club midway through the season. Marchena reportedly failed to regain fitness from an injury in pre-season and played only 49 minutes for the club. Former Everton forward James McFadden is being lined up as a potential replacement.
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