Indian Super League 2020-21 Team Profile: NorthEast United

The Highlanders look a promising side ahead of the forthcoming season.

The 2019-20 Indian Super League season experienced yet another disappointing performance from NorthEast United. Soon after, the Highlanders appointed a new head coach in Gerard Nus, which was followed by an almost entirely new overseas contingent.

Apart from the overseas stars, NorthEast United also signed a flurry of new domestic players, who along with the foreigners create a mix of youth and experience, something that can help them in the longer run. With an energetic squad and a young tactician at the helm, the Highlanders look promising and could become the side to look out for in the forthcoming 2020-21 campaign.

Last Season’s Performance: Ninth

The 2019-20 campaign was yet another season to forget for the Highlanders. NorthEast United finished at ninth place in the standings, only above bottom-placed Hyderabad FC and managed to win just two of their games. Head coach Robert Jarni was sacked towards the end of the term and was replaced by assistant coach Khalid Jamil.

Pre-Season

NorthEast United have played two pre-season games so far, a goalless draw against Jamshedpur FC and a 2-1 win over Hyderabad FC.

Coaching Staff

NorthEast United have appointed a new head coach for the upcoming season in Spanish tactician Gerard Nus. After the departure of Robert Jarni, assistant coach Khalid Jamil was appointed as the interim head coach to see out the rest of the season. Since then, Jamil has gone back to his job as the assistant coach and the head of the youth academy at NorthEast United.

35-year-old Nus, who is also the youngest ever head coach in the ISL, comes with a lot of experience having been part of coaching teams of top teams such as Liverpool, Ghana, Elche and Rayo Vallecano.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXJqup2GiA0&t=862s

Transfer Dealings

The Highlanders had released all of their overseas players following last season, except Federico Gallego. NorthEast United brought in six overseas players in the summer, followed by an overhaul of the squad from last season.

Ins

The Highlanders have gone for a complete overhaul in defence, bringing in Dylan Fox and Benjamin Lambot. In midfield, they have signed defensive midfielder Khassa Camara and winger Luis Machado. Two forwards Kwesi Appiah and Idrisa Sylla have also signed for them in the transfer market.

Apart from these players, NorthEast United have also made some notable Indian signings like Ashutosh Mehta, Mashoor Shereef and young Rocharzella, which will not only add quality to the team but also provide depth.

Outs

Major departures saw Ghanaian legend Asamoah Gyan leave after his short stint with the Highlanders. Apart from Gyan, five other foreign players were released including defender Mislav Komorski. Star Indian forward Redeem Tlang left for FC Goa, while midfielder Milan Singh has signed for SC East Bengal. NorthEast United also saw the departure of young midfielder Puitea to Kerala Blasters.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Gurmeet Singh, Sanjiban Ghosh, Nikhil Deka

Defenders: Dylan Fox, Benjamin Lambot, Wayne Vaz, Nabin Rabha, Nim Dorjee Tamang, Gurjinder Kumar, Pravat Lakra, Ashutosh Mehta, Rakesh Pradhan, Mashoor Shereef

Midfielders: Federico Gallego, Khassa Camara, Imran Khan, Lalengmawia, Lalrempuia Fanai, Rocharzella, Pragyan Sundar Gogoi

Forwards: Idrissa Sylla, Kwesi Appiah, Ninthoi Meetei, Britto PM, Lalkhawpuimawia, Suhair VP, Luis Machado

Formations & Tactics

4-2-3-1

Looking at the signings it seems like Gerard Nus will stick to the traditional 4-2-3-1 formation.  Experienced goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury is expected to start between the sticks, with Lambot and Nim Dorjee Tamang as the two centre-backs in front of him. Ashutosh Mehta and Rakesh Pradhan are expected to be the first-choice full-backs. 

The pair of Camara and Lalengmawia could form the defensive midfield, with Camara playing in a more deeper role while Lalengmawia has the freedom to dictate play. Gallego will play in his preferred attacking midfield position, with Ninthoi to his right and Machado to his left. Kwesi Appiah would be expected to lead the attack.

4-2-3-1 (Alternate)

An alternate starting XI in the same formation could see Fox pairing with Lambot and thus taking up another foreign player space. In the event, Luis Machado could be replaced by Rochharzela on the left wing.

4-4-2

Another alternate formation for NorthEast United could be 4-4-2, which will help them include two strikers in the starting XI. Subhasish starts in goal with the defensive pairing of Fox, Lambot, Pradhan and Mehta as the back four.

Camara could play the role of the pivot, with Rocharzella playing as the left winger and Meetei on the right. Gallego could play behind the forward pairing of Appiah and Lalkhawpuimawia.

Strengths

• The Indian signings arrive with a lot of experience of playing in the ISL.
• There is proper depth in the squad this time around, which has been lacking in many of the previous seasons.
• The return of Gallego is a major boost for NorthEast United. The Highlanders missed his ability to create chances and open up defences.

Weakness

• The foreign signings don’t have any experience of playing in India. The team's fortunes will depend on how quickly they can adapt to conditions and hit the ground running.
• NorthEast United lack a proven goalscorer. Despite signing two forwards, their goalscoring record so far isn’t something that will excite fans.

Players To Watch

Federico Gallego

This will be the Uruguayan's third season with the Higlanders. Gallego has been a major part of NorthEast United’s attack in the past two terms, especially in their first and only semi-final appearance two seasons ago. Gallego has scored five goals and assisted six during his stay with the Highlanders. His creativity in midfield will play a vital role for them.

Dylan Fox

Fox has played the majority of his career in the A League. The defender won the Players' Player of the Year in 2017-18. The Australian joins NorthEast United from the Central Coast Mariners. The Australian has to fill the big boots of Mislav Komorski, who was a crucial part of NorthEast's defence in the last two seasons.

Lalengmawia

One of the few positives from last season was the rise of Lalengmawia. The youngster was one of the silver-linings in an otherwise bleak 2019-20 term. With more experience under his belt he can only be expected to improve.

Lalengmawia often controlled the midfield for NorthEast United in the previous campaign, but found himself with too much to do several times. However, with the arrival of experienced players around him, his work could get easier and make him more efficient.

Fixtures

What To Expect

It would be safe to say that NorthEast United have been the under-achievers of the Indian Super League so far, having finished in the top four only once in six seasons. But, after looking at their transfer activity and the recruitment, improving on last term should not be difficult.

The team doesn’t look the strongest on paper compared to some others in the league. Whether the Highlanders can emerge as the dark-horses of the competition remains to be seen. 

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter and join our community on Telegram.