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A change at the helm for Delhi Dynamos at the start of the season saw Roberto Carlos take over as the club’s marquee player-manager. The Brazilian came to the Indian Super League with a couple of years of experience of being in the dugout, but his stature and influence was enough to stir the attention towards the side from the capital.
This was the second time in as many seasons that the DEN Network owned side had acquired the services of arguably the biggest name in the tournament, thus drawing more attention towards their side.
The club didn’t just stop there as the razzmatazz continued with the recruitment of Florent Malouda and John Arne Riise, both signings that added more steel and experience to the side. The addition of Adil Nabi, the only recruit from the Premier League put more attention on the side.
The ISL auction saw Bengaluru FC’s marksman Robin Singh join on a massive fee of INR 51 Lakhs. Anas Edathodika became the other famed name from Indian football to join the ranks.
While last season ended in despair, it has been a completely different story this time around as with six games to go in the group stages, Dynamos find themselves joint top, level on points with leaders FC Goa and FC Pune City.
For all the troubles that Harm Van Veldhoven and Alessandro Del Piero had to go through last season, there have been none so far as there is an air of optimism surrounding the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the capital so far.
With a rise in attendance and performance level as well, there have been more positives so far, but certain issues need to be resolved as the team enters the business end of the second edition of the ISL.
What has gone right?
While last season saw the fans go home despondent seeing the team perform badly, there has been a stark difference in the quality so far as the trio of Robin, Malouda and Riise have risen to the occasion, and are the driving force in the side.
Labeled as the ‘Galacticos’ of the ISL, the Dynamos have worked well as a cohesive unit this time around and the stability in the squad has been an important factor in their performances.
The most eye catching display though has been that of 35-year-old Malouda. The former Chelsea winger has played all the minutes of Dynamos’s season so far, thus representing great adaptability and fitness levels in the tournament.
While many foreign recruits have struggled to stamp their authority at such an early stage, Malouda has gone onto become the epitome of the side’s displays.
Carlos has constantly talked about the character his side have shown even when going down and that is evident from the number of times they have made a comeback in this tournament.
While the defeat to FC Goa was indeed a disappointing one, ‘The Lions’ have since then lost just once in the last eight games. Last gasp goals have gone onto become the identity of the side now, fetching them valuable points in the tournament so far.
The most contrasting difference this season though has been their impressive away run. Under Veldhoven last season, Dynamos registered a mere two wins on the road but with three wins so far in five away games, Carlos’s men have accumulated precious points.
Points for improvement
There hasn’t been much to worry about for the Dynamos except their dismal goalscoring record. With just eight goals under their belt, the side currently lies bottom in terms of the number of goals scored so far.
While questions have been raised on the side’s attacking woes, Carlos has been quick to put them away. Richard Gadze currently stands tall as the top scorer for the Dynamos side with four goals, followed by Robin’s two goals.
The problem does not lie in the number of chances created, with the side being pretty good in terms of their attacking endeavour. But what has been worrying is that with 59 out of 123 shots attempted going off target, it is in the final third that Delhi need to show more urgency and accuracy.
Robin has failed to stamp his authority on the tournament so far as well as many had expected, and while Gadze has scored vital goals, his finishing has been quite mediocre.
If the points stay level, it could come down to goal difference to determine who makes the play-off and Delhi will have to make sure that they avoid such a situation in the near future.
Expectations
With the side sitting two points clear of fifth-placed NorthEast United, a top four spot looks on the cards at this point with six games to go. Qualification to the play-off stages shouldn’t be much of a worry, but can they go onto win it? Maybe.
There is no shortage of quality in the side and even though goals have been hard to come by, a single goal victory will be enough as well to secure valuable points. The play-offs throw in the home-away ruling and with the side doing fairly well in away games as well, there is no reason why Delhi should not be considered as title contenders.
