Indian Super League 2020-21: Five things we learned in Gameweek 5

Only Mumbai City and FC Goa picked up wins while the other fixtures ended in stalemate. 

It has been a week full of excitement and drama for the teams in the Indian Super League. Gameweek 5 saw enticing clashes, as NorthEast United showed great character to earn a point against Bengaluru FC. While SC East Bengal showed resilience in defence to salvage a point against Jamshedpur FC, despite being a man down for the entirety of the second half. 

Chennaiyin FC's match against Mumbai City showed the flaws that still exist in Sergio Lobera's men. While the spirited Hyderabad FC shared the spoils with ATK Mohun Bagan. Lastly, FC Goa edged past Odisha FC 1-0. 

Here are the five things we learned from the recent round of matches:

5. NorthEast United's character will stand them in good stead

The Highlanders under Gerard Nus have shown grit and hunger to grind out results, something which they did this week against Bengaluru FC. It all started brightly for NorthEast, as Rochharzela's ambitious effort got deflected off Luis Machado and ended up in the back of the net. 

For the first time, their defence looked a bit disorganized and Bengaluru replied twice, both goals were conceded due to miscommunication in the backline. Young custodian Gurmeet Singh's shaky performance also did not help the team. But still, they found a way to rescue a point from the fixture through another Machado goal. 

NEUFC have a settled backline and have several options upfront, both Indian and foreign. The ability of some of these players compliments the system that Nus has adopted. Therefore, they are unbeaten so far this season.

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4. Jamshedpur FC's draw against 10-man SC East Bengal raises questions on their playoffs credentials

After a morale-boosting win against ATKMB, Jamshedpur FC looked all set to back it up with another strong result against SC East Bengal. It became a certainty when Eugeneson Lyngdoh got sent off in the first half. However, the Men of Steel simply did not have the zeal or urgency to make it two out of two.

Owen Coyle's men were indeed denied by the crossbar, thrice, but still they did not throw the kitchen sink at the Red and Gold defence. 

The Scotsman himself admitted that his team did not play enough passes in the final third to open up the opposition’s backline and create more chances. The draw would feel like a loss for the Men of Steel, as it also dents their chances of qualification to the playoffs. 

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3. Despite losing Csaba Laszlo's Chennaiyin FC showed the way to play against Mumbai City FC

Although Chennaiyin FC lost the game against Mumbai City, they showed the way to play against Sergio Lobera's men.

The Marina Machans pressed the Islanders high and did not allow the likes of Ahmed Jahouh and Rowllin Borges to control the tempo of the game from midfield.

Both Deepak Tangri and Germanpreet Singh worked tirelessly to disrupt the flow of Mumbai's gameplay, while Rafael Crivellaro started weaving his magic. It paid dividends when Jakub Sylvestr scored the opener. 

However the Islanders restored parity within the first half, courtesy of Hernan Santana's goal from a Hugo Boumous corner. Chennaiyin's intensity dropped as the game went on and gradually Lobera's men started exerting their dominance. Thereafter, Adam Le Fondre’s winner was inevitable. However, Chennaiyin had their moments and may well have provided other teams a blueprint to counter the Islanders. 

Also Read: Four reasons why Gerard Nus could be the next big thing in Indian football

2. Lack of creativity in midfield hampering ATK Mohun Bagan

After winning their first three matches the Mariners have hit the wall in the last two fixtures against Jamshedpur and Hyderabad. While Roy Krishna has once again proven his credentials in front of goal, players like David Williams and Edu Garcia have struggled to get going. Also, with fixtures coming thick and fast, Antonio Habas has been unlucky with multiple injuries to some of his mainstays like Javi Hernandez, Garcia and Williams. 

Without Hernandez at the helm against Hyderabad, the ATKMB midfield looked out of ideas to release the likes of Manvir Singh and Krishna upfront.

The Mariners aren’t creating enough chances for their forwards to convert and cohesion in attack seems to be missing. While the fitness of his players has been a major concern for Habas, he also needs to sort out the roles assigned to different players within the setup. 

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1. Igor Angulo's an able replacement Ferran Corominas at FC Goa

While there were questions regarding Igor Angulo's credentials as a striker at the start of the season, a few weeks in, the questions have evaporated as supporters have found a new fan-favourite in the 36-year old Spaniard.

Angulo has already scored six goals in the first five games and has made a huge impact in Juan Ferrando's team. Even in the match against Odisha he produced a quality strike. 

While some fans have already labelled the Spaniard as the rightful successor to his compatriot, Angulo has brushed aside comparisons and assured that the best is yet to come. The way he moves in the final third, creates space for himself and sometimes even for his teammates, is something that makes him special.

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