ISL Indian TOTW 2: Mukhi, Bhumij and Nishu steal the limelight

The second round of the league saw many youngsters producing commendable efforts.

The Indian Super League (ISL) rolled into the International break with style, with the exciting week of football proving that there are great things in store during this long season. There were some surprises in this week as well, with former champions being unable to pick up a single point. However, the dark horses and favorites have already been outlined, with the likes of FC Goa, Jamshedpur FC, Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru looking early favorites for the playoffs spots.

Some Indian players really managed to shine through this week, with super-sub performances and special goals being the highlights of the week. Here’s our weekly ISL team of the week.

Goalkeeper: TP Rehenesh (NorthEast United)

Not the goalkeeper many can expect in these kinds of lists, but TP Rehenesh seemed intent on proving himself at a place he had played many matches in the past. Rehenesh looked in superb form against ATK, who didn’t really create that many chances but the Highlanders’ keeper was there to parry out everything thrown at him.

Rehenesh made four saves against ATK, including a couple of brilliant ones to keep out Manuel Lanzarote. He completely deserved what was a rare clean-sheet for him and gained a lot of confidence which has been missing from his game lately.

Right-Back: Seriton Fernandes (FC Goa)

Seriton Fernandes has continued his impressive work from last season and put out a bright performance against the defending champions last week. Fernandes was rock solid on the right flank for the Gaurs and did very well to keep out to disable Gregory Nelson from terrorizing his defense.

He made quite a few tackles to win back the ball and his four clearances often helped to avert disaster. Fernandes was superb going forward with a passing accuracy of more than 70%. He even gave a clever assist for Coro’s goal, which helped his side record a famous win over the defending champions.

Team of the Week 2 squad

Center-Back: Sandesh Jhingan (Kerala Blasters)

Sandesh Jhingan has started the season superbly for Kerala Blasters and retain his excellent form against Mumbai City FC as well. Jhingan was an ever-bearing presence in Kerala’s defense last week, moving around with purpose and sniffing out danger every time. He kept the dangerous Modou Sougou isolated and was always at the right place at the right time to help Kerala from conceding.

Jhingan made an unbelievable eight clearances and four tackles in the match and was in complete command of his defense. He might’ve been unlucky to concede through that worldly-strike, but the Blasters captain showed encouraging signs with another terrific outing. Won the Hero of the Match award for his heroics on the day.

Center-Back: Chinglensena Singh (FC Goa)

Things are looking bright for Chinglensena Singh this season, as the FC Goa defender has been churning out some really impressive performances as of late. He faced his biggest task so far this season having to keep out the dangerous Chennaiyin FC, but showed impressive maturity in containing them.

Chinglensena helped Goa dominate proceedings with his fantastic distribution and had a passing accuracy of 88%! Singh kept Jeje quiet throughout the game and cleared the ball out of danger five times! Chinglensena seems to have developed a strong partnership with Mourtada Fall and is steading FC Goa’s defensive shape with each passing match.

Left-Back: Nishu Kumar(Bengaluru FC)

Nishu Kumar proved why Bengaluru FC was right in letting go of the superb Subhashish Bose this season and put in a stunning performance against Jamshedpur FC. Kumar was made to handle the terrorizing Jerry Mawia and did well to cope up with his movement. Kumar was solid defensively and made an incredible eight tackles in the game.

He also made three blocks and five interceptions, which helped avert disaster for Bengaluru many times. But the icing on the cake for Kumar was his outstanding volley which blasted into the net. He won the Hero of the Match for his stunning display and will play an important part in Bengaluru’s success this season.

Right Center-Midfield: Rowllin Borges(NorthEast United FC)

NorthEast United ended up completely dominated a 10-man ATK last week and picked up their first win of the season. However, it was mostly the brilliant of their star central-man Rowllin Borges which helped them maintain such control after the red card in the first half. Borges was having a great time in midfield and attained complete dominance over his opposition midfielders.

Rowllin had an unbelievable passing accuracy of 94% from 80 passes and helped stitch together some encouraging moves for the Highlanders. He capped off a terrific performer by scoring the winner with a powerful header and attained three crucial points for his side.

Center-Midfield: Lenny Rodrigues(FC Goa)

Returning to our team of the week for the second straight season, Lenny Rodrigues has just been too good to ignore right now. He’s taken to FC Goa like fish to water and is turning out to be among the best signings of the ISL season. Rodrigues started the game against Chennaiyin with great intent and picked out a really clever assist for Edu Bedia’s opening goal.

From them, he asserted much control in the middle and had a passing accuracy of 87%. Not only that, but he proved to be a really industrial midfielder who made eight tackles and won back the ball many times to help the Gaurs get to the top of the table.

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Left Center-Midfield: Halicharan Narzary(Kerala Blasters FC)

Much like his compatriot Jhingan, Halicharan Narzary has also started the season really well for Kerala Blasters and is slowly asserting himself into a fan-favorite. In his home debut for Kerala, Narzary looked intent on making something happen and was really dangerous in the final third. He got his first goal of the season with a really sweet, thunderous finish which surged past Amrinder Singh.

Nazary looked a live wire in the attack for the Yellow Army and was always trying to stitch up a chance. He did his defensive duties well, making five tackles and won back the ball numerous times to rally on The Blasters in the attack.

Right-Wing Forward: Pranjal Bhumij(Mumbai City FC)

Came on with Mumbai City failing to break open the rigid Kerala Blasters defence and produced something special to stun the hosts. Bhumji looked dangerous right after arriving in the pitch but got his moment of glory in the dying minutes of the game, when his scorching shot blazed past the helpless Dheeraj.

Pranjal won the Limitless Player of the Match award and earned an important point to help give his side some momentum heading into the break.

Striker: Gaurav Mukhi(Jamshedpur FC)

 

 

 

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Watch: Gaurav Mukhi scores against Bengaluru FC

Gaurav Mukhi was a highly touted youngster at Jamshedpur FC and was praised in pre-tournament press-conferences by the likes of Tim Cahill, Subrata Paul, and Cesar Ferrando. He introduced himself in the ISL in style with a fantastic finish past the intimidating Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

Mukhi's equalizer gave Jamshedpur the confidence they needed to gain an important point and knowing his amazing ability in attack, Mukhi is in line for big things in this ISL.

Left-Wing Forward: Sunil Chhetri(Bengaluru FC)

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In what was a much-improved performance from the Bengaluru skipper, Sunil Chhetri looked much more dangerous than he did against Chennaiyin FC. He moved with purpose in attack and did well to test Jamshedpur’s resolves with a few ambitious shots on goal.

Chhetri scored what seemed like the winner late into the game with a fine header, but was unlucky to see his side concede in the dying minutes. Regardless, a much more positive showing from Bengaluru’s captain, who seems to be finding his goal-scoring rhythm with each passing match.