The period before a football season is always exciting for the fans as they wait to hear on new players gracing the pitch for their teams. The case was not too different this time around, ahead of the third season of the Indian Super League.
The teams were being announced and there were several signings that got the respective faithful of the franchises excited. The return of Toni Doblas was exciting for Delhi but their Indian contingent, young, raw and intelligent, did not inspire much confidence apart from the fact that defensive wall Anas Edathodika stayed put.
Delhi Dynamos signed former Pailan Arrows and Shillong Lajong midfielder Milan Singh who plied his trade with DSK Shivajians in the recent I-League season. The club also sealed the signatures of two talented youngsters, Chinglensana Singh and Lalchhawnkima.
Bolstering their squad
Chinglensana Singh featured at the youth levels for Mahindra United, Air India and Tata Football Academy before making an Under-19 appearance for India. Lalchhawkima on the other hand, was an integral part of the Royal Wahingdoh side that earned promotion and then finished third.
The other names included Kean Lewis, Arjun Tudu and Amoes Do. Kean gave glimpses of his talent while at Mohun Bagan. Amoes has a few big clubs on his resume, having played for Bengaluru FC in 2013 followed by stints at Mumbai FC and recently, Ozone FC. Tudu was a part of the Services team and helped them win the Santosh Trophy, 2016 with his goal scoring prowess.
In addition, Dynamos retained their full back Souvik Chakraborty and added experience through Denson Devadas. Though this does not seem a bad side on paper, these were definitely not the sort of names that would get pulses racing.
Delhi then went on to add further names to the squad. While the departing Hans Mulder and John Arne Riise led to frowns, the return of Richard Gadze and Malouda more than made up for it. The side also added exciting names in the form of Bruno Pellisari who provided an account of his potency with Chennaiyin FC, Ruben Gonzales Rocha, Badara Badji and Marcos Tebar. Both Spaniards have had a great playing experience up their sleeve and were sure to add steel and strength to the team from the capital. To top these, the Lions added Marcelinho to the side to add Brazilian flair to the side and help the side with some Samba magic, something that went missing this season with the likes of Gustavo Dos Santos and Vinicius missing.
Brazilian flair and the perfect poacher
But despite all these names, there was a certain worry. The same worry that troubled Delhi Dynamos last time around and probably shortened their journey – the lack of a goal scorer, a poacher, someone who will be there at the right place at the right time and help the team sail through.
Richard Gadze had been a part of the Delhi Dynamos last season and mostly made it count as an impact player, scoring just four times in the whole of last season. With Robin Singh having left for FC Goa, Gadze was Dynamos’ main man at the start of the season and with last season’s stats to go by, the worry persisted.
His partner, Badara Badji, a 22 year-old tall, lanky Senegalese played with Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb B where his goal-scoring record stood at a little less than 0.5 goals a game which did not sound too positive. The third cog in the attacking wheel, Marcelinho or Marcelo Leite Pereira too had a below par goal scoring record.
With Gianluca Zambrotta at the helm of affairs, it was thought Delhi Dynamos would play a counter-attacking style of football with the main focus on shielding their goal. As they kickstarted the campaign, all such thoughts got washed away in a jiffy with the Dynamos thumping Chennaiyin FC 3-1 away.
But soon things fell back with the Dynamos netting once in the next two games and earning two draws. The subsequent game then again gave account of Delhi’s resilience and goal scoring abilities as they came back to score thrice and earn a point against Mumbai City FC at home.
After a patch of another couple of dry games, Zambrotta’s team got back to scoring and winning ways with eight goals scored in just three games to account for a total of 16 goals scored, seven more than the second highest scoring teams – Mumbai City FC, Atletico de Kolkata and Chennaiyin FC.
What earlier seemed to be a weakness for Delhi slowly has surely turned into one of their strengths, considering they sit pretty on top of the table.
While Marcelinho and Gadze are the key players who have led Delhi’s surge and scored the goals this season, young Kean Lewis has impressed and shown signs of one that shall wear the Indian blue sometime soon.
Kean Lewis’s rise a good sign
Lewis, who can be deployed as a striker or a winger, has the rare trait of good dribbling ability, rocket speed and an eye for goal. In his seven appearances for the Dynamos this season, Kean averages a shot on goal per game and has accumulated three goals and an assist so far.
Given the youngster has been playing out wide and Delhi has quite a few players in the box, waiting for their chance to score a goal, Lewis’s stat of around half a goal per game are noteworthy.
While most teams have failed to have an impact Indian player in the frontline, Delhi Dynamos have done well to scout for Lewis and use him well in the lineup to add more venom to the attack.
Going by the way the Dynamos have played so far this season, they have unarguably been the best side and have also shows great composure to come out of lull patches in the game and get over deficits. They seem to have shown the most consistency and looks like a side that is out there to play, score and win.
The way Zambrotta has shaped up his side and added mental toughness, Delhi Dynamos look all set to go all the way. Do not be surprised if the Lions have the final roar, come the end of the third season on December 18.
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