Indian Super League 2021-22 Season Review: Odisha FC

The Juggernauts are yet to qualify for the play-offs after three seasons in ISL.

Season 2021-22 turned out to be yet another season where Odisha FC failed to qualify for the playoffs. However, they put up a much better performance than the previous campaign, where they finished at the bottom of the table, managing to win only two games. Compared to that, the Juggernauts put up a much more resilient display, as they finished seventh in the recently concluded season with 23 points.

It was a fresh start for the Juggernauts with a revamped team and newly-appointed head coach Kiko Ramirez. The team from Bhubaneswar couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the season, as they won three of their first four matches, bettering their record from the term prior to that. However, Odisha FC couldn’t capitalize on their good start, as their season fell off the rails after that.

Head coach Kiko Ramirez was sacked at the halfway point of the season, after they lost five of their first 10 matches. The Spaniard was replaced by his assistant Kino Garcia, who took over the reins of the club for the rest of the season. However, he too wasn’t able to push his team through to the playoffs, as he managed to win only two of the remaining 10 fixtures.

Fact Sheet for Odisha FC in Indian Super League 2021-22

Top Performers of the season

Javi Hernandez

Javi Hernandez was clearly the most influential player for Odisha FC. The Spaniard was the go-to man for Odisha when it came to scoring goals or creating them.

The former ATK Mohun Bagan man played mostly in the No. 10 position or occasionally as a forward. He was quite comfortable in both roles, as he was comfortable with both scoring and creating goals. Most of Odisha’s attacking moves went through him.

Javi was also a huge threat for the opposition because of his set-piece delivery. He ended the season with a tally of six goals and five assists in 18 starts.

Jonathas de Jesus

Another Odisha FC forward who had a decent outing in the recently concluded season. The Brazilian was impactful, specially when coming on as a substitute. Jonathas scored four goals last season after coming off the bench.

The tall striker turned out to be a good target man for the likes of Javi Hernandez. Jonathas was also pretty comfortable with the ball at his feet and was consistent with his output for the team throughout the season.

Jerry Mawihmingthanga

Jerry was been one of the most consistent Indian performers in the league in recent seasons. Odisha FC’s top Indian performer, the winger was a constant threat to any opposition defence, with his raw pace and his skill on the ball.

Coming back for his third season for the Juggernauts, the 25-year old had a slow start, which saw him lose his place in the starting XI at the beginning. However, the winger found his way back in the team with improved performances and cemented his position in the starting lineup.

Underperformer of the season

Hector Rodas

Odisha FC conceded 44 goals in the 2020-21 season when they finished at the bottom of the table. In order to improve that, the Juggernauts signed two experienced foreign defenders in Victor Mongil and Hector Rodas. However, they were hardly as effective as Odisha would have wanted them to be, with the side conceding 43 goals in the recent term.

The 34-year old Spaniard couldn’t deliver to the expectations. Rodas failed to dominate the opposition attack to his liking and managed to keep only two clean-sheets. Eventually, the Odisha defence conceded the most goals throughout the season, tied with NorthEast United.

Top Performances

1. Odisha FC 3-1 Bengaluru FC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDkSKadQmTg&t=2s

2. Odisha FC 6-4 SC East Bengal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bnK6z2WUtE&t=6s

Odisha FC 4-2 Mumbai City

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K2NO-iCbzk

Manager’s Report Card

After their disappointing outing in the 2020-21 season, Odisha FC brought in Spaniard Kiko Ramirez to steady the ship. Things looked to be on the right track after the brilliant start to the season, where they equaled their winning tally of the season prior in the first two games of the season. Consequently, Kiko Ramirez won three of his first games in charge, in which his team scored 11 goals.

However, the season fell off the tracks after that, with one win and four defeats in the next six games. The run of bad results saw Kiko Ramirez sacked midway through the campaign and replaced by Kino Garcia, the assistant head coach. Kino had a good start to his reign with a win over NorthEast United, but he managed to win only one of the next nine games, which meant yet another season without qualifying for the playoffs for Odisha FC.

Lessons to be learned

This was Odisha FC’s third season in the Indian Super League and they are yet to qualify for the playoffs. Despite obvious improvement from the season prior, Odisha FC would still be disappointed with the way the season turned out for them. Even if they missed out on the playoffs they would have liked to finish a bit closer to the top spots.

Odisha FC president Raj Athwal in an exclusive with Khel Now emphasized on his club’s focus on the grassroot levels. However, their reliance on young Indian talents doesn’t seem to be working out for them, as they would have liked. As seen from a variety of different clubs in the league, a mixture of youth and experience is required to qualify for the playoffs or win the league. Odisha FC should look to find the right balance in the next season.