Even though the Indian Super League has only made headlines for the wrong reasons in the last few days, that should not take away the sheen from a much improved second season. If an underwhelming final between two defensive teams aptly summed up season one, the essence of the follow-up edition too was best captured by its finale: a topsy-turvy, highly competitive, five-goal thriller served up by the competition’s two best attacking units in FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC.
The fact that the final was held in Goa, an utterly football-mad region, in contrast to last season’s venue, Mumbai, a city best known for Bollywood and cricket, was also symbolic of the ISL’s shift in priorities. Rather than shoving the concept down Indian throats by piggybacking on the nation’s celebrity culture, the focus of this season was much more on the sport itself.
Sure, there were still certain things which made you cringe – such as celebrity interviews that shamelessly exaggerated the impact of ISL in India and the introduction of Nita Ambani as the “first lady of Indian football” – but these were significantly less intrusive in comparison with last season. By and large, football and the stories around the sport took centre stage, which was a healthy sign for a league whose success in 2014 was credited mainly to its novelty factor.
Attacking-minded football
Each of the eight ISL clubs showed a year-on-year improvement in terms of their style of play. This did not necessarily translate into greater tangible success for every club – the second season saw only one new semi-finalist – but the overall intent and quality of football proved to be an upgrade on last season. Whereas the inaugural season was characterised by teams going into games with a safety-first approach, and finding great success in doing so, this season witnessed bolder tactics. Even bottom-placed Kerala Blasters, for instance, adopted a more attack-minded approach and ditched their infuriatingly defensive-minded methods midway through the campaign.
Teams were visibly sharper, quicker and more cohesive on the pitch – evident in the increase in overall pass accuracy from 72% to 75%. They were also more adept in attack and hence more willing to go on the offensive. ISL 2 saw 186 goals go in, an average of 3.01 goals per game, which was a highly significant 44% increase on the 129 goals scored last season at only 2.01 per game. This season also witnessed eight hat-tricks compared to only one last season. Managers were less inclined to shut shop after taking leads, opting instead to go for the kill with goal difference playing a potentially key role in deciding an extremely tight league table.
Soaring attendances
In addition to more eye-pleasing football, ISL 2 saw a greater context around matches, with team rivalries and fan loyalties deepening with every season. Stadium attendances, the most vital indicator of the league’s health, thus continued to soar. ISL 2 witnessed a 6.8% increase in overall attendance, with only Guwahati, the home of NorthEast United, seeing a decline. The average attendance in Kochi touched an astonishing 52,000 spectators. Even the national capital overcame its general apathy for sport to support the Delhi Dynamos by averaging over 19,000 spectators (a 24% increase) including touching the 23,000 mark during the semi-final against Goa.
Various factors contributed to the improvement in teams, which was the fundamental reason behind ISL 2’s success. Continuity of players and, in some cases, managers helped in enhancing the style of play. It isn’t a coincidence that three of the four semi-finalists, namely FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC and Atletico de Kolkata, had retained their managers – and hence their core philosophies – from season one. All three clubs, even Kolkata who limped to the title last year, played better football over the course of the entire season.
Club owners were wiser from season one and recruitment strategies were tweaked. Less emphasis was placed on the stature of marquee players and more on their value to the team on the pitch. The average age of a marquee player was nearly three years less than last season, following on lessons learnt from the struggles of the likes of Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet last season, while other foreign recruits were younger too.
Full-fledged preseason
A full-fledged preseason played its part as seven clubs trained abroad. It resulted in teams gelling faster and players keeping fitter. This was in stark contrast to the hasty preparations ahead of last season which impacted performances. Just ask Chennai manager Marco Materazzi of the importance of a proper preseason. The Italian had cited a lack of it as the reason for losing both key players John Stiven Mendoza and Elano to injuries in the second half of last season, which he claims cost his side the trophy. Both players, fit and firing this time around, led Chennai to glory in ISL 2.
Quality of Indian players and their performances was notably better too, even if managers still prefer to play foreign players in key positions. Unlike last season, the ISL was finally home to India’s best players as the boys from Bengaluru FC joined in. And they did not disappoint. Sunil Chhetri and Robin Singh scored 11 goals between them for Mumbai City and Delhi Dynamos respectively, while Eugeneson Lyngdoh was FC Pune City’s standout player along with Jakichand Singh.
However, Thoi Singh, a stalwart in Chennai’s midfield who made the most number of tackles (71) this season, stood out among the first-timers. The champions, in fact, served as a perfect example to showcase the influence of Indian players. While Materazzi rotated his foreigners, he relied heavily for his success on a core group of Indians comprising midfielder-turned-right back Mehrajuddin Wadoo, central midfielders Thoi Subgg and Harmanjot Khabra, forward Jeje Lalpekhlua (who scored six times) and left back Dhanchandra Singh.
Certain aspects of the league deservedly invite criticism. The six-five rule that allows up to six foreign players in the starting XI does not help accelerate the growth of Indian football. The league’s two-month duration is ridiculously short and the lack of an international break is utterly amateurish. Refereeing is still well below par, while respect towards match officials is virtually non-existent.
On the whole though, at least in terms of football on display, the ISL 2 was a compelling watch and a major step forward from last year.
Akarsh Sharma is a Delhi-based writer who tweets here
The fact that the final was held in Goa, an utterly football-mad region, in contrast to last season’s venue, Mumbai, a city best known for Bollywood and cricket, was also symbolic of the ISL’s shift in priorities. Rather than shoving the concept down Indian throats by piggybacking on the nation’s celebrity culture, the focus of this season was much more on the sport itself.
Sure, there were still certain things which made you cringe – such as celebrity interviews that shamelessly exaggerated the impact of ISL in India and the introduction of Nita Ambani as the “first lady of Indian football” – but these were significantly less intrusive in comparison with last season. By and large, football and the stories around the sport took centre stage, which was a healthy sign for a league whose success in 2014 was credited mainly to its novelty factor.
Attacking-minded football
Each of the eight ISL clubs showed a year-on-year improvement in terms of their style of play. This did not necessarily translate into greater tangible success for every club – the second season saw only one new semi-finalist – but the overall intent and quality of football proved to be an upgrade on last season. Whereas the inaugural season was characterised by teams going into games with a safety-first approach, and finding great success in doing so, this season witnessed bolder tactics. Even bottom-placed Kerala Blasters, for instance, adopted a more attack-minded approach and ditched their infuriatingly defensive-minded methods midway through the campaign.
Teams were visibly sharper, quicker and more cohesive on the pitch – evident in the increase in overall pass accuracy from 72% to 75%. They were also more adept in attack and hence more willing to go on the offensive. ISL 2 saw 186 goals go in, an average of 3.01 goals per game, which was a highly significant 44% increase on the 129 goals scored last season at only 2.01 per game. This season also witnessed eight hat-tricks compared to only one last season. Managers were less inclined to shut shop after taking leads, opting instead to go for the kill with goal difference playing a potentially key role in deciding an extremely tight league table.
Soaring attendances
In addition to more eye-pleasing football, ISL 2 saw a greater context around matches, with team rivalries and fan loyalties deepening with every season. Stadium attendances, the most vital indicator of the league’s health, thus continued to soar. ISL 2 witnessed a 6.8% increase in overall attendance, with only Guwahati, the home of NorthEast United, seeing a decline. The average attendance in Kochi touched an astonishing 52,000 spectators. Even the national capital overcame its general apathy for sport to support the Delhi Dynamos by averaging over 19,000 spectators (a 24% increase) including touching the 23,000 mark during the semi-final against Goa.
Various factors contributed to the improvement in teams, which was the fundamental reason behind ISL 2’s success. Continuity of players and, in some cases, managers helped in enhancing the style of play. It isn’t a coincidence that three of the four semi-finalists, namely FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC and Atletico de Kolkata, had retained their managers – and hence their core philosophies – from season one. All three clubs, even Kolkata who limped to the title last year, played better football over the course of the entire season.
Club owners were wiser from season one and recruitment strategies were tweaked. Less emphasis was placed on the stature of marquee players and more on their value to the team on the pitch. The average age of a marquee player was nearly three years less than last season, following on lessons learnt from the struggles of the likes of Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet last season, while other foreign recruits were younger too.
Full-fledged preseason
A full-fledged preseason played its part as seven clubs trained abroad. It resulted in teams gelling faster and players keeping fitter. This was in stark contrast to the hasty preparations ahead of last season which impacted performances. Just ask Chennai manager Marco Materazzi of the importance of a proper preseason. The Italian had cited a lack of it as the reason for losing both key players John Stiven Mendoza and Elano to injuries in the second half of last season, which he claims cost his side the trophy. Both players, fit and firing this time around, led Chennai to glory in ISL 2.
Quality of Indian players and their performances was notably better too, even if managers still prefer to play foreign players in key positions. Unlike last season, the ISL was finally home to India’s best players as the boys from Bengaluru FC joined in. And they did not disappoint. Sunil Chhetri and Robin Singh scored 11 goals between them for Mumbai City and Delhi Dynamos respectively, while Eugeneson Lyngdoh was FC Pune City’s standout player along with Jakichand Singh.
However, Thoi Singh, a stalwart in Chennai’s midfield who made the most number of tackles (71) this season, stood out among the first-timers. The champions, in fact, served as a perfect example to showcase the influence of Indian players. While Materazzi rotated his foreigners, he relied heavily for his success on a core group of Indians comprising midfielder-turned-right back Mehrajuddin Wadoo, central midfielders Thoi Subgg and Harmanjot Khabra, forward Jeje Lalpekhlua (who scored six times) and left back Dhanchandra Singh.
Certain aspects of the league deservedly invite criticism. The six-five rule that allows up to six foreign players in the starting XI does not help accelerate the growth of Indian football. The league’s two-month duration is ridiculously short and the lack of an international break is utterly amateurish. Refereeing is still well below par, while respect towards match officials is virtually non-existent.
On the whole though, at least in terms of football on display, the ISL 2 was a compelling watch and a major step forward from last year.
Akarsh Sharma is a Delhi-based writer who tweets here
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