Analysis: How good has NorthEast United start to the season really been?

The Highlanders are sixth in the table and are only three points off the playoffs spots.

NorthEast United have always been one of the cult clubs in Indian football. More so for their presence in a region renowned for its ethereal beauty as well as the people's craze for football. The region is also famous for the countless players that have been unearthed and have gone on to represent the nation. Hence, the club was formed as a confluence of the "Seven Sisters" states and represents the footballing culture of the region. Over the years, NorthEast United have had a hit-and-miss relationship with the ISL playoffs. In 2018-19, they finally ended their voodoo when they qualified for the same last season, under current Kerala Blasters head coach Eelco Schattorie. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] This season they are three points away from getting into the playoffs spots, but have hit a rough patch with back-to-back defeats at home to ATK and Bengaluru, which also ended their unbeaten run in the ISL. But, just how much have the Highlanders improved, relative to previous campaigns. Here, we take a look at how NorthEast United have worked out since their run to the playoffs last season:

2018-19 Season

Redeem Tlang emerged as one of the Highlanders' top talents last season

NorthEast United qualified for the playoffs last season, with 29 points off their 18 regular season games. Unfortunately, they bowed out against Bengaluru in the semis, despite winning at home. Under Schattorie, the Highlanders qualified for the playoffs for the very first time and it proved a good respite from the ignominy they had endured in the previous campaign. That term, they finished rank bottom, with only 11 points from their 18 games having scored just 12 goals. Thus, they received great praise upon qualification, but their consistency in terms of results and goalscoring remains a concern. Qualifying in itself is worth a lot of praise and not to forget they had the best defensive record in the league. However, the fact remains that NorthEast scored only 22 goals in their regular-season games, less than teams like Jamshedpur FC, who they pipped to the final playoffs spot. Even FC Pune City (now Hyderabad FC) and Delhi Dynamos (now Odisha FC) who finished way below them, registered more goals. Their last-gasp win in the first leg of the semi-finals at home to Bengaluru gave evidence that the side can dig deep and score goals. But, their inconsistencies in penetration and incisiveness in front of goal came to bite them against the eventual champions. [KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Out of the 22 goals they scored, 12 came from current Blasters frontman Bartholomew Ogbeche. This means, only 10 goals came from the other outfield players. While there is no doubt that Ogbeche was the target man, the other players rarely seemed to be in place to nick in a goal when required.

2019-20 Season

The current campaign has been following the same trend as the last, with goals coming at a slow rate for the Highlanders. Starting the first few games with promise, they were unbeaten in their first six outings, until they were stopped in their tracks by back-to-back home losses. But, their style of play has not always been convincing. Despite not losing, part of the unbeaten run were four draws and their two wins have come against newcomers Hyderabad FC and Odisha FC. For those too, they had to fight hard with late goals saving them. Most bizarre among these facts is that each of the eight goals they have scored so far this season, have come from only four players. These include Asamoah Gyan (3), Redeem Tlang (2), Panagiotis Triadis (2) and Maximiliano Barreiro (1). This proves their dependence on their star signings and that the other attackers and players are struggling to get themselves or their teammates into goalscoring positions. What's more, their tally of eight goals in as many games is just one better than bottom-placed Hyderabad FC and is the same as Kerala Blasters, who are two places below them.

Reasons

Most of United's gameplay this season has focused on getting a goal and then sitting back to invite pressure onto themselves. It has also been a common tactic for other teams in the ISL. They have always been ready to sacrifice possession and get back in defence to stave off opposition attacks. [KH_ADWORDS type="1" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] This has somewhat curtailed their attacking output. The efforts of Gyan and a "Redeemed" Tlang deserve praise. However, the output of players like Martin Chaves, Lalengmawia and Barreiro have not been as expected. The injury to Gyan early on against ATK has exposed the soft underbelly of their attack and has called into question Robert Jarni's attacking options when the Ghanaian isn't around. His absence has sucked the wind out of their sails and the Guwahati-based side have struggled to establish themselves in the final third in the last two games without him. [KH_ADWORDS type="2" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

The Numbers

Despite having won a few games, NorthEast United haven't been the most commanding teams in the ISL. They have averaged only 45% possession in the league this campaign. This is a number way short for what head coach Robert Jarni often prides on. NorthEast United have the lowest goal ratio and are the only team in ISL history (for teams with more than 50 games) to have a ratio of less than one per game. Bengaluru FC are only two goals away from their tally of 87 goals in 88 games, despite having played 37 fewer matches than the John Abraham co-owned franchise. Having unbeaten runs makes for good viewing and draws count among these runs too. However, only getting draws doesn't guarantee you points and good results over a long time. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] NorthEast United have the hard way of learning, but don't seem to learn from past mistakes and remain a team that is content with scoring a few here and there from the usual suspects. While their commitment can't be questioned, their desire and process of winning, do leave a lot to think about. In hindsight though, despite all the goodwill, it seems NorthEast United are destined to huff and puff their way, if they do, to the playoffs.