Indian Football Team Player Watch: Chhangte, Kaith & Liston impress; Mehtab, Chettri need to improve

A few Indian football team players impressed in the recently concluded ISL games.

Khel Now is here with another analysis of players of the Indian Football Team who represented the nation against Afghanistan in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. In comparison to the previous week’s stats, there has been some improvement in the game of some of the key players of Indian Football Team which are stated below.

While keeping the upcoming World Cup Qualifier games under focus, the report has been prepared based on the players’ performance in the game week 22 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24.

The performances of the 25 players till the Gameweek 22 of ISL

Lallianzuala Chhangte – 8.5

Chhangte was Mumbai’s best player in the match against Mohun Bagan. He scored a brilliant goal and missed out on another by a whisker. With more than 90% accuracy on passes, he took three attempts at scoring. He is surely an asset for Indian Football Team in the upcoming years.

Vishal Kaith – 8

Apart from Mohun Bagan’s attacking game, it was Vishal’s performance that helped them end the league stage as the Shield winners. Last week, in both matches, his commitment towards the game was unmatched. While in one match he registered a clean sheet, in the other, the opponents were able to score only one past him. With his constant performances he derserves a start for the Indian Football Team.

Liston Colaco – 8

Colaco proved to be a huge asset for his team when he returned against Mumbai. He not only scored a goal in the match but also controlled the left flank. Although he lacked a bit in passing accuracy, made it count with the first touches.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 7

Individually, Gurpreet improved in his performance in the last week of play. He was involved in four saves and looked quite confident while guarding the post. Unfortunately, his team lost the match by 4-0 goals, which states a different story about his commitment. 

Anirudh Thapa – 7.5

Thapa scored a goal against Bengaluru FC last week. Apart from that, he kept his game-high both at the backline and midfield. If we go by his performance, he fared better at the backline against Bengaluru and in the midfield against Mumbai.  

Brandon Fernandes – 7.5

Brandon scored a goal against Chennai in their last group-stage match. He mostly looked to play with long balls and rarely looked to lose possession. He also won four ground duels in nine attempts in the match. 

Mahesh Singh Naorem – 7.5

Mahesh kept on toiling hard on the pitch quite efficiently in their loss against Punjab FC. He delivered five crosses in the match, unfortunately, none of them were converted into a goal. Apart from that, he controlled the backline with his experience and made five crucial tackles. 

Lalengmawia Ralte – 7.5

Apuia was his best in the match against Mohun Bagan. He kept on fighting till the last minute to help his team earn a draw from the match. He not only kept the game moving at the front end but also made some crucial tackles at the back. With a decent accuracy in passing, he won ten ground duels out of fifteen attempts. The midfileder will play a crucial role for the Indian Football Team in the upcoming matches.

Manvir Singh – 7.5

In comparison to both the matches, Manvir Singh fared better in the match against Bengaluru. He scored a goal and provided one assist in the game. The only thing he suffered the most in both matches was losing possession and low accuracy in passing. 

Subhasish Bose – 7

Bose was decent with his performance in both matches last week. He made a total of seven clearances and made three tackles. His passing accuracy bettered in the match against Mumbai compared to Bengaluru. The defender should surely be a first choice for the Indian Football Team.

Anwar Ali – 7

Anwar remains a stable defender at the back for Mohun Bagan. In the last two matches, his impact on the game was something that can’t be overlooked. With a decent passing accuracy in the matches, he made several crucial clearances. Anwar will look to hold his position in the starting XI of the Indian Football Team.

Jay Gupta – 7

Not just at the backline, Jay fared well in the midfield and also at the front line. He was quite brilliant with both ground and aerial duels in the match against Chennaiyin FC.

Akash Mishra – 6.5

Akash didn’t perform to his best in their last group stage match against Mohun Bagan, which also affected his team’s momentum and they lost a crucial game. He just made one clearance and two tackles in 90 minutes. 

Rahul Bheke – 6.5

Bheke had a comparatively better performance than his teammates at the backline. But it was not enough for his side to silence Mohun Bagan who registered an emphatic win. With 96%, he had near-perfect passes in the match. 

Nikhil Poojary – 6.5

Nikhil lost possession quite frequently in their last match against Mohun Bagan. With two successful tackles to his name, he also took one shot at the goal which went off-target.  

Suresh Singh Wangjam – 6.5

Suresh had a decent game last week but it didn’t match the standard which he had set for himself. He kept on attempting to make an impact in the match with his aggressive approach at times but was rightfully being defended by the Mohun Bagan defenders.

Mehtab Singh – 6

Mehtab was also below par in his performance in Mumbai’s last match against Mohun Bagan. In his 68 minutes on the field, he just made one interception. He lacked a bit in tackling and clearances.

Sunil Chhetri – 6

Sunil Chhetri missed a penalty in the match which could have given Bengaluru an equalizer after trailing behind by one goal. Although he looked good at times on the pitch, the highlight of his below-par performance in the game was much talked about looking at the future assignments of the Indian team.

Amrinder Singh – N/A

Amey Ranawade – N/A

Sahal Abdul Samad – N/A

Jeakson Singh Thounaojam – N/A

Deepak Tangri – N/A

Imran Khan – N/A

Vikram Partap Singh – N/A

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