'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2015 I-League season was one of the best in the recent history with the title’s final destination being decided in the last five minutes of the season. Mohun Bagan won the league after 13 years, newly promoted Royal Wahingdoh won the fans’ love with their attractive brand of football while three-time winners Dempo were relegated to the second division at the end of the campaign.
Bengaluru fought valiantly till the end but had to be content with the Federation Cup to show for their efforts. Bharat FC were given a direct entry to the I-League as the league was contested among a total of 11 clubs.
Here is a look at Sportskeeda’s team of the 2014-15 I-League season. We have opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation for this team -
Goalkeeper: Debjit Majumder - Mohun Bagan
Clean sheets: 7
Debjit Majumder’s return to the I-League was an eventful one as Mohun Bagan won the league for the first time in 13 years. He played 14 of the 20 games in the season, conceding only 13 goals, keeping 7 clean sheets in the process.
His best performance came against East Bengal in the Kolkata derby, where he made 4 important saves during the game to help Bagan win the derby 1-0. An injury stopped him from making it to the 23-man squad for the World Cup qualifiers for the National team.
Right-back: Pritam Kotal - Mohun Bagan
Goals: 2
Pritam Kotal was a revelation this season, as he exhibited his potential, and missed just two games. It was a surprise when Indian manager Stephen Constantine left him out of the World Cup Qualifiers after having played him in India’s successful qualifying matches against Nepal. While Rino Anto got the nod from Constantine, we decided Kotal’s consistency throughout the season was key to Bagan’s success.
The former Pailan Arrows defender scored two goals during the course of the season as well. His goal in the match against Pune FC in the 77th minute gave Bagan three points which proved crucial at the end of the season. At 21, Kotal definitely has a bright future ahead of him.
Central defender: Bello Rasaq - Mohun Bagan
Goals: 1
Bello Rasaq impressed everyone with his performances and his fitness levels as he was one of the few players who played every minute of every game in this season’s I-League. The hard-tackling defender was instrumental in Mohun Bagan’s successful I-League campaign which makes the fact that he wasn't retained by the club following the conclusion of the season even more surprising. Bagan might rue their decision when he turns up in the Red and Gold of East Bengal.
Rasaq scored only one goal in the entire season, but it came three minutes from the end of the season against Bengaluru FC. The goal meant that Bagan got the draw they needed in Bengaluru to secure the title.
Central Defender: Curtis Osano - Bengaluru FC
Goals: 1
Curtis Osano was one of the main reasons why Bengaluru pushed Mohun Bagan to the very end of the season. His importance to the team was evident when he was suspended for the away game at Mohun Bagan. In Osano’s absence, Bengaluru got thrashed 4-1 by the Kolkata side.
He is the modern day defender, one who doesn't need to get his shorts dirty to win the ball back, due to his excellent reading of the game. Mumbai FC’s Justin Stephen made a strong claim for this position, however, Osano’s calm presence even in a high-pressure situation helped cement his place. He scored one goal in the season in a 3-1 thrashing of Salgaocar.
Left-back: Dhanachandra Singh - Mohun Bagan
Goals: 2
Dhanachandra Singh was another player who impressed this season. In fact, Constantine was so impressed that he gave Singh his first cap for the National side in the World Cup Qualifiers. He had 14 appearances this season scoring 2 goals in the process, a good return for a left-back. Blessed with good stamina, he is capable of playing back to back games without looking out of sorts.
He hit form at the right time of the season scoring an important equalizing goal in the 76th minute against Mumbai in the 17th game week of the I-League and keeping Bagan in the driving seat in the title race.
Central Midfield: Eugeneson Lyngdoh - Bengaluru FC
Age: 28Appearances: 20Goals: 6
Having joined Bengaluru in 2014, the midfielder showed exactly why he deserved to play for the 2014 Champions as he exhibited his wonderful vision and great passing range. His exceptional set-pieces were an added weapon throughout the season. He scored Bengaluru’s first goal in the AFC Champions League qualifier directly from a corner kick.
At the end of the campaign, he was adjudged the I-League Midfielder of the season and won Bengaluru FC’s Fans’ Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year.
He scored 6 goals throughout the campaign, none more important than his 76th-minute winner against Bharat FC at the Kanteerava Stadium in the I-League to give his club a 1-0 win over the Pune side. During the entire season, he provided 16 assists in 33 appearances for the club.
Central Midfield: Sehnaj Singh - Mohun Bagan
Age: 21Appearances: 18Goals: 1
Sehnaj Singh signed up with Mohun Bagan at the beginning of the season and was an integral cog in the Mohun Bagan wheel as they ended up lifting the coveted trophy for the first time in their history. At just 21, Sehnaj played 18 games in the season including 14 starts. A player comfortable on the ball, he likes to keep the ball moving and helps his team control the tempo of the game.
He scored only one goal during the season as well, but his performances were truly rewarded when he was called up for the National team’s World Cup Qualification campaign by manager Stephen Constantine.
Right-winger: Seityasen Singh - Royal Wahingdoh
Age: 23Appearances: 18Goals: 6
Royal Wahingdoh captured the imagination of the Indian Football fans as they played an attractive style of football with results such as a 3-2 win over Bagan, a 3-2 loss to Dempo and 3-3 draw against Bengaluru in the penultimate game of the season. They scored 27 goals in their 20 games and conceded the same number of goals.
Seityasen Singh played a major part in Royal Wahingdoh’s maiden I-League campaign scoring 6 goals in his 18 appearances for the club with his performances earning him a call-up to the National team for their World Cup Qualifiers. The only other real contender for this position was Katsumi Yusa but considering the influence of other foreign players in this list, he had to be left out.
Singh put on a show for the fans when he scored a hat-trick in an I-League game against Salgaocar at home that Wahingdoh ended up winning 4-2.
Attacking midfielder: Jackichand Singh - Royal Wahingdoh
Age: 23Appearances: 18Goals: 5
Another Royal Wahingdoh player who stepped into the limelight in this season’s I-League was Jackichand Singh, who was named the I-League Player of the Season. The 23-year-old helped his club finish 3rd in the table in their first season in the league following their promotion to the second division. A player blessed with great pace, he can change direction very quickly to go go past players with ease.
Although he scored just five goals throughout the season, it was his assists that kept Wahingdoh alive in the title race almost till the end.
Left-winger: Sony Norde - Mohun Bagan
Age: 25Appearances: 19Goals: 9
The Haitian was a major reason for Mohun Bagan’s success this season scoring 9 goals in his 19 matches for the club. He was Bagan’s go-to-man throughout the campaign, as he came up with important goals in games that Bagan looked vulnerable in.
Even if he wasn't scoring goals the 25-year-old was creating goals for other teammates collecting a total of 13 assists. Norde’s influence on Bagan's season can be made out from his stats which reveal out of the 33 goals Bagan scored in the season, Norde was directly involved in 22.
It was a surprise that he was not awarded the Player of the Year, but all we can hope for is that he stays in the I-League because he is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars.
Striker: Ranti Martins - East Bengal
Age: 28Appearances: 20Goals: 17
One of the greatest players to ever play in the I-League, Ranti Martins was another player who played every minute of the league for his new club East Bengal. Martins showed his worth again by scoring 17 goals out of the 30 scored by the Red and Gold outfit this season. Even though he scored at the rate of almost a goal-a-game in the I-League, he saved his best performances for the AFC Cup, scoring 3 goals in 4 games.
His best performance, however, came when he scored an astonishing 5 goals in one match against Dempo, a club with whom he won 5 league titles.
Manager: Santosh Kashyap - Royal Wahingdoh
This one was a tight call between Santosh Kashyap and Sanjoy Sen. Sen led Bagan to their first I-League title and had the highest wins in the division as well. But we had to give it to Santosh Kashyap because of the style of football they played.
Without any real recognizable names on his roster, Kashyap led the Wahingdoh team to new heights as they almost looked the title contenders till the last few games of the season. His style of attacking football was a refreshing change in the league, but he needs to fix the defensive issues to launch a title bid next season.
In their first season back, Wahingdoh guided by Kashyap beat both the Kolkata teams at home and put Bagan in the driver's seat of the title race when they held Bengaluru to a 3-3 draw at the Kanteerava Stadium in the second last match of the season.
Substitutes:
Lalthuammawia Ralte (Bengaluru FC), Justin Stephen (Mumbai FC), Rino Anto (Bengaluru FC), Godwin Franco (Royal Wahingdoh), Katsumi Yusa (Mohun Bagan), Robin Singh (Bengaluru FC) and Cornell Glen (Shillong Lajong)
Starting line-up
