Could Anirudh Thapa be the biggest benefactor under Sergio Lobera in ISL 2025-26?

Anirudh Thapa is ready to shine in Lobera’s setup.

A new era is set to beckon for Mohun Bagan with the beginning of the 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) season, as they start their tenure under the coaching of Sergio Lobera. The Spanish gaffer, who has enjoyed success at clubs like FC Goa and Mumbai City in the ISL, now aims to guide a third team in the division to major success under him.

Lobera, being a product of FC Barcelona’s ‘La Masia’ youth academy’s coaching system, is obviously going to usher in a new playing style for Mohun Bagan. The Mariners might’ve preferred for a more counter-attack heavy, set-piece-reliant style under Jose Molina last season, but they are going to change to something different this time around.

The ex-Odisha FC boss loves his team to retain control of the ball and play a fluid passing style that is meant to frustrate the opposition players. In the 2019-20 ISL season, when his FC Goa side won the League Shield – the Gaurs topped the list for most successful passes and three Goa players topped the list of players with most passes in the campaign.

As a result, Lobera will always look to promote players with impressive passing qualities, innovativeness, and spatial awareness to help keep the ball moving without making mistakes.

A player who might hit the potential jackpot under Lobera is going to be Anirudh Thapa, who is still fighting to earn a permanent starting spot with the Mariners. The experienced Indian international has the qualities and attributes to be an ideal fit for the Mohun Bagan midfield line under the Spanish gaffer, and here we look at why he might actually be the biggest benefactor under Lobera at Mohun Bagan.

Variety and accuracy in passing skills

Anirudh Thapa has racked up over 140 ISL appearances in his career, and he’s definitely gained a lot of experience in that period as well. As a result, the 28-year-old midfielder has an understanding of the pace and intensity of the matches in the ISL and ideally how to control a match for his team as well.

In his ISL career, Thapa has managed an 80% passing accuracy from 4839 passes so far up until the 2025-26 season, showing how he really loves to get involved in the build-up play for his side. Be it through his performances in the ISL or for the India national football team, Thapa has always been a positive burst of energy who loves linking up with his teammates and being someone to bail his teammates out of sticky situations.

Anirudh Thapa has an impressive variety to his passing skills, being able to play short passes, long balls or creative forward passes with relative ease. His accuracy in moving the ball around the pitch and positional awareness in the opposition half can help him implement Lobera’s tactics perfectly and make him an important part of his system.

Versatility and adaptability to different situations

A key reason why Anirudh Thapa tends to be favoured players for many foreign managers is because of how willing he really is to slot into different roles for the benefits of his team. The 28-year-old midfielder is naturally as his best in a no.8 role, where he can dictate the tempo of his team’s possession style and help with the build-up play as well.

However, the good thing about him is that Anirudh Thapa is ready to accept different responsibilities whenever required. Thapa has the qualities of playing as a no.6 or a deep-lying playmaker role where he shields his defensive line, stops opposition attacking moves and helps build up big chances with clever passes from within his own half.

Moreover, the 28-year-old is also prolific enough to play as a no.10 if necessary for his side because of his tendency to get amongst the goals. Thapa has 10 goals and 12 assists in his ISL career, out of which three assists came in the 2024-25 ISL campaign for the Mariners. He knows how to create big chances with his innovative final-third passes and can also sneak into goal-scoring situations, which raises his importance for any coach in a side.

Experience factor

Mohun Bagan are blessed to have a really talented options of midfielders, but Anirudh Thapa is actually the senior-most Indian midfielder in their squad. The 28-year-old has the advantage of having played for a longer period in Indian football than players like Lalengmawia Ralte, Sahal Abdul Samad or Deepak Tangri – and that can help him understand Lobera’s system quicker than some of them.

Indeed, that added experience factor could help Anirudh Thapa potentially thrive under Lobera’s playing style because the 28-year-old midfielder has definitely gained a lot of knowledge about what it takes to dominate a midfield battle during his time in Indian football.

Thapa has gained maturity with his performances over the last few years, meaning he won’t be as rash or overly aggressive as someone like Tangri or Sahal in the midfield battle. He can be calmer with the ball, moving it with more smoothness and accuracy than some of the other Mohun Bagan players might in the playing style implemented by Lobera.

At 28, Anirudh Thapa is at an age that is widely considered as a period when a centre midfielder usually reaches their peak. The Indian international will look to raise his match sharpness and be a vibrant figure under Sergio Lobera to become a crucial part of his Mohun Bagan team and help the Mariners dominate their way into winning another ISL title at the end of the 2025-26 season.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.