Indian Super League 2020-21: Five things we learned in Gameweek 6

Hyderabad FC youngsters have repaid the faith shown in them by the coach with superb individual performances.

The Indian Super League (ISL) saw yet another exciting week of action-packed matches which had a lot of goals. The week saw Mumbai City drop points, while ATK Mohun Bagan have clawed their way back to the top with a win against FC Goa. 

On the other hand, it looks like Bengaluru FC have finally found the rhythm they needed with their big win against Kerala Blasters. NorthEast United and Hyderabad have also continued their unbeaten runs. While teams like Odisha FC and SC East Bengal find themselves in a spot of bother.   

Therefore let's take a look at the top five lessons learned from Indian Super League Gameweek 6:

5. Chennaiyin FC need goals from midfield to make up for lacklustre forwards

A lot has changed at Chennaiyin FC since last season, when they finished as runners-up. While a coach like Csaba Laszlo has come in with some new reinforcements, the players need time to settle in India. This is especially true for players like their Slovakian striker Jakub Sylvestr, along with foreign attackers new to the league in Esmael Goncalves and Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev. 

The attacking trio have given their all, but have not managed to get going on Indian soil. Sylvestr missed a penalty against Kerala Blasters in a game that ended in a stalemate and also fluffed his lines multiple times against Bengaluru FC. The same tory has played out with Isma and Fatkhuloev. So, Laszlo needs some of his Indian players like Lallianzuala Chhangte, Thoi Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Edwin Vanspaul, along with Rafael Crivellaro to score goals and compensate for their struggling forwards, which will get going this season. 

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4. Kerala Blasters win shows positive approach will reap rich dividends for Bengaluru FC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv-pvtcixlg

There is something that charges up the Bengaluru FC players when they are up against Kerala Blasters. Call it a rivalry or whatever, but the Blues have a great record against the Tuskers and they always seem to outperform them in these matches. Carles Cuadrat, who is a shrewd tactician has preferred a pragmatic approach rather than an all-out fluid system. While it was Kerala Blasters who struck first on the counter-attack, the Blues gradually got hold of the game and once they did there was no coming back for Kibu Vicuna's men. 

The Blues pressed the Blasters high and often forced them to commit mistakes from which they scored. Also, there was so much fluidity in midfield with Dimas Delgado pulling the strings and Sunil Chhetri as well as Cleiton Silva playing those intricate balls in the final third. Yes, there were defensive issues and the Blasters got a lot of space during their counter-attacks. But, it was the first time this season that Cuadrat's men showed positivity in their gameplay and dominated proceedings. The match should serve as a blueprint for the rest of their season.

ALSO READ: ISL 2020-21: Who topped Khel Now’s Power Rankings in Phase 1?

3. Mumbai City FC's failure to convert goalscoring chances could hurt them at the business end of the competition

https://youtu.be/Gyv0zhSjJoc

Yet another team who created a lot of chances but did not capitalize on them. Sergio Lobera's men had some absentees in Hugo Boumous and Hernan Santana, but still they had enough firepower to take on a Jamshedpur FC team which was a man down for the entirety of the second half. 

The Men of Steel came out all guns blazing, when Nerijus Valskis broke the deadlock early on. However, Bartholomew Ogbeche restored parity within some time and then a moment of madness from Aitor Monroy meant that Owen Coyle's men were reduced to ten with over an hour of play remaining. The Islanders tried to make merry, as Adam Le Fonde and Ogbeche started combining and creating chances. The Nigerian striker had nine shots in total and on any other day he would have bagged a hat-trick. 

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However, some last-ditch defending from Peter Hartley and Co. coupled with some horrible misses meant that the spoils were shared between the two teams. While it was a hard-fought point for Jamshedpur, Lobera would feel that his team dropped points and the Spaniard needs to find answers for the lacklustre performance in front of goal. It is something that could come back to haunt the Islanders at the business end of the competition, if they do not address the issue soon. 

2. Do Hyderabad FC have the best Indian core?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCm46LUdom0

Hyderabad FC have been really unlucky with the injuries they have had, especially to some of their foreign players like Fran Sandaza, Joel Chinese and even Lluis Sastre, who have spent most of the time sitting on the sidelines. While it was a major concern for coach Manuel Roca, he also knew that this would give the Indians more impetus to perform on the big stage and prove their mettle. 

Roca has shown immense trust in his young Indian core and the players have paid him back with some exquisite performances, as they are still unbeaten in the league. Defensively the Nizams have been solidly led by Odei Onaindia, along with youngsters like Asish Rai, Chinglensana Singh and Akash Mishra. In midfield, Hitesh Sharma has redeemed himself at this level, while Mohammad Yasir has only improved on his consistency from last season. 

Moreover, experienced players like Holicharan Narzary and Nikhil Poojary have stepped up in times of need. However, the star performer has been Liston Colaco. The young Goan forward has stumped spectators with his exceptional attacking instincts and decision-making in the final third. With the way the young Indians are performing under the stewardship of Roca, one can easily say that Hyderabad FC have the best performing Indian core this season. 

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1. Is home advantage impediment for FC Goa this season?

While FC Goa have a tremendous record at home, this season they have struggled to eke out results against the big boys. The Gaurs are still a new team finding their mojo with their new head coach Juan Ferrando at the helm, but they have had this pattern of not coming out of big matches with all three points. It started with Bengaluru FC, where the Gaurs came from behind to salvage a point. While Mumbai City FC played a very cagey game to sneak a late penalty and win against Goa. 

It was similar to their match against ATK Mohun Bagan this week, where the Mariners pressed Ferrando's men high and did not allow them to play out from the back to create chances for Igor Angulo upfront. ATK Mohun Bagan dominated the midfield battle and neutralized Goa's free-flowing gameplay. While the team are still a force to be reckoned with, they have to start winning these big matches to get the monkey off their backs. 

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