ISL: Top five coaches who missed out on trophy

This list features some of the best coaches in ISL, including Albert Roca and Ivan Vukomanovic.

Over the past eleven years, the Indian Super League (ISL) has had a number of talented coaches who injected their teams with technical acumen and fighting spirit, ensuring that they clinch silverware. However, this often was not the case, as many great teams missed out on trophies, as did their managers.

While many wax lyrical about the likes of Sergio Lobera, Antonio Lopez Habas, and Des Buckingham, the tacticians who brought their teams agonisingly close to trophies are often glossed over and not given their due attention.

In this article, we take a look at the best coaches who fell short of winning trophies with their respective ISL teams but left a mark by playing impressive football.

Also Read: ISL 2025-26: All transfers completed in summer transfer window

Albert Roca

Albert Roca came to India as the head coach of Bengaluru FC in 2016 with a lot of pedigree, having been a member of the coaching squad of the mighty FC Barcelona till 2008.

With expectations riding high from the fans, the Spanish coach was quick to pay them back with performances. In their very first season in the Indian Super League in 2017, Roca catapulted the Blues into a top-of-the-table finish, amassing 40 points from 18 matches.

Sunil Chhetri and Miku sparked up a deadly attacking partnership up front, scoring 29 goals between the two in the league. However, with the ISL League Winners’ Shield yet to be introduced, Bengaluru fell short of claiming silverware after they were defeated in the final by Chennaiyin FC.

While he won the Super Cup and the Federation Cup before famously reaching the AFC Cup Final, he fell short of an elusive ISL title. His imprint was clearly visible in the team after his departure as they lifted the trophy in the subsequent season.

Ivan Vukomanovic

Ivan Vukomanovic has been the longest-serving head coach of Kerala Blasters since the inception of the league in 2014. He inherited a team in 2021 that had been ridiculed for persistently languishing in the bottom half of the table. However, in tremendous fashion, he turned the ship around and led the Yellow Army to their third ISL final.

He was responsible in recruiting Adrian Luna, who is currently the club captain and has become the face of the club to many fans.

The Serbian quickly found a core group of players, and an attacking quartet of Luna, Sahal Abdul Samad, Alvaro Vasquez, and Jorge Pereyra Diaz ran rampage against opposition defences in the 2021/22 season.

However, it was not to be as Hyderabad FC handed them a defeat on penalties in the Indian Super League final. The club is yet to reach another final since.

Steve Coppell

Steve Coppell has managed three teams in the Indian Super League—Kerala Blasters, Jamshedpur FC and ATK. With Kerala Blasters in 2016, Coppell ensured that the team played some exciting football on their way to a second-place finish in the league table.

His Indian players, the likes of Sandesh Jhingan, CK Vineeth, and Mohammed Rafi, played key roles for the club. In the final, their first since the inaugural season, the Blasters fell short in the penalties against ATK.

Zico

Brazilian football legend Zico made headlines when he was unveiled FC Goa‘s head coach in 2014. He led the club for three seasons, reaching the playoffs in the first two years.

His 2015 team in particular played some tantalising football, with the likes of Reinaldo Oliveira, Joffre Mateu, Romeo Fernandes, Gregory Arnalin, and Mandar Rao Dessai putting up stellar performances every week. After scoring the most goals in the league stage and finishing second, the Gaurs made their way to the final.

Despite Joffre giving them the lead in the 87th minute, Chennaiyin FC clawed their way back in with two late goals, and a winner courtesy of Stiven Mendoza ended their silverware dreams. However, Zico’s influence set up the personality of the side that the likes of Sergio Lobera would then come and further develop.

Jorge Costa

Jorge Costa led Mumbai City FC to back-to-back playoff berths for the first time in their history. Prior to the CFG acquisition and the Sergio Lobera era, the Islanders played some impressive football under Costa.

A number of players like Amrinder Singh, Raynier Fernandes, Rowllin Borges, Bipin Singh, and Vignesh Dakshinamurthy started establishing themselves in the lineups and starting squads of Mumbai under Costa. They would all go on to play key roles in their title-winning seasons.

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