In a time when sweeping changes are being made to the structure of Indian football, it is sometimes forgotten that there is football action on the pitch. The national team played six games and two separate leagues have started and finished from the beginning of 2016.
Here, we take a look at the men at the back – the rearguard. The usual suspects like Arnab Mondal and Sandesh Jhingan have once again asserted themselves as the best defenders in the country. But what has been pleasantly surprising has been the emergence of youngsters like Chinglensana Singh and Jerry Lalrinzuala.
The voting by fans
We sent out a poll for fans to vote on which Indian defender had the best year, and Sportskeeda experts also weighed in on the matter.
The one with the highest vote received 10 points, and the one with the lowest got 1 point. The scores from Sportskeeda’s list and the Reader’s choice are then added together, with an average score being taken. In the situation of two players tied, Sportskeeda’s ranking takes preference.
Here are the final rankings:
#10 Chinglensana Singh
The young Manipuri made a name for himself in the ISL. His performances ensured that Gianluca Zambrotta pushed Souvik Chakraborty from his natural position at right-back to the other full-back position.
In 2014, Sana was sent by the Tata Football Academy for an exposure tour to England, where he played a couple of games for the Sheffield United U18s.
His break in Indian football came in the I-League this year with Shillong Lajong. Sana played 14 games for the Meghalaya-based team in the I-League and the Dynamos saw his obvious talent there.
It is a huge plus that Sana is versatile as well; he is equally adept playing at both full-back positions as well as at centre-back. There is a lot more that Sana has to offer for both club and country and 2017 will be a huge year for him.
He showed his potential and ability in 2016. Next year, he will have to prove that this year was not a flash in the pan and consistency will be the next target for the man from Manipur.
#9 Anas Edathodika
Anas didn’t have an I-League club in 2016, which was hugely surprising given his performances for Delhi Dynamos in last year’s ISL. But the man from Kerala used that time off to become an even better defender.
And that is what he showed in the 2016 ISL. Last year, he partnered John Arne Riise at the heart of the Delhi Dynamos defence and matched him stride for stride. This year, it was exactly the same, except that the other defender was Ruben Rocha.
The Indian defender is strong, doesn’t hesitate to go slide in on opposition attackers and most importantly, he is always ready to put his body on the line. The 31-year-old has been around Indian football circles for a long time but only in the last 12-18 months has he really asserted himself as a top defender.
He has not made an appearance for the national team yet, and that will be high on his priority list for 2017. Stephen Constantine could very well do with a defender like Anas as back-up for Arnab and Jhingan. But for now, the man from Kerala is focussed on the I-League, if he does find a club for this year.
#8 Dhanachandra Singh
Dhana was one of Chennaiyin FC’s stars in their ISL win last year and he took the momentum from there into the 2016 I-League and AFC Cup for Mohun Bagan. He was Sanjoy Sen’s first choice to start at right-back in both the I-League and the AFC Cup.
In the AFC Cup, Bagan were on top of their game and they won 4 games in the group stage to finish top of Group G, earning them a home tie in the Round of 16. But they were undone by Tampines Rovers, who scored an 118th minute winner to break Bagan hearts.
Dhana has gone from strength to strength, but unfortunately, injury struck in Chennaiyin FC’s pre-season camp in Italy. It was his left knee that was causing him problems and he eventually had to undergo surgery.
That meant that he missed the entire ISL season, and eventually that led to the unearthing of a potential superstar. Jerry Lalrinzuala would probably have never started if Dhana was fit, but he got the opportunity and made full use of it.
#7 Augustin Fernandes
The experienced man from Goa started the SAFF Cup final against Afghanistan, where he put in a solid performance to help India stave off the Afghan challenge.
He featured for Salgaocar, which was a disappointing I-League season for Augustin and the club but heading into the ISL, he reunited with coach Antonio Habas as he made the switch from Atletico de Kolkata to FC Pune City. He played four games for Pune, before injury ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.
In those four games, he made 7 successful tackles, 4 successful interceptions and won two aerial duels. He formed a reliable partnership with Eduardo Ferreira before the injury, and his absence did hit Pune hard as they failed to make the playoffs for the third season in a row.
#6 Narayan Das
He joined East Bengal for the 2016 I-League after a stellar 2015 ISL that saw him help FC Goa reach the final. But in terms of club football, it was not a great 2016 for Das.
He played only 4 games for East Bengal in the I-League and just 3 games for FC Pune City in the ISL, after he had changed ISL clubs.
But Das cemented his position as the first-choice left-back for Stephen Constantine. He started every game for India this year, and put in some stellar performances, none more than in the 4-1 thrashing of Puerto Rico. He got his first goal for the country as well in that game.
Das will continue with East Bengal for the upcoming I-League and will be hoping that there is an upswing in his fortunes for the club, after a last one year that hasn’t gone quite as planned at the club level.
#5 Souvik Chakraborty
The most-improved Indian defender of 2016, Souvik Chakraborty was also one of the most consistent. Like Dhana, he too was with Mohun Bagan and that defence, led by Luciano Sabrosa had a terrific year, eventually finishing second in the I-League.
But Souvik’s finest hour of 2016 was in the ISL. It would not be a stretch to say that he was one of the first names on Gianluca Zambrotta’s teamsheet. It says a lot about the defender’s performances that he was the only player in the ISL to play every single minute of his team’s campaign.
And most of those minutes were played at left-back, which is not his natural position.
With Pritam Kotal and Rino Anto pushing each other hard for the national team’s right-back position, Chakraborty’s versatility could well work to his benefit as he looks to get a first India call-up in 2017.
#4 Pritam Kotal
Kotal has been among the most consistent performers of the year, for both his clubs and for country as well. He was a lynchpin for Mohun Bagan, for whom he started most games as a centre-back.
But for both India and Atletico de Kolkata, he largely played at right-back and fared well. Kolkata rotated their squad, but Kotal was their right-back on the big days. He was terrific along with Henrique Sereno and Tiri in defence.
Kotal was even more important in the final stretch of the tournament, when Arnab Mondal was unavailable due to an injury.
Kolkata’s full-backs were plenty in number – Robert Lalthlamuana, Keegan Pereira, Prabir Das and Kotal had to fight it out for two spots and that competition looked to spur Kotal on as he kept getting better and better with every game that he played in.
#3 Rino Anto
Curiously, the Kerala Blasters did not seem to have faith in him to play him in either of the full-back positions. Either Josu or Pratik Chowdhury was preferred to Anto, but the year that he had, was spectacular, especially for Bengaluru FC.
He was a tireless worker on whichever flank he played for Bengaluru throughout the season. It was a stunning 2016 for the champions of India as they followed up winning the I-League with a stunning run to the final of the AFC Cup.
Injury to Keegan Pereira meant than Rino had to be played at left-back for a large part of the AFC Cup knockout rounds, but he was equally comfortable on the left as he was on the right. His energy meant that the likes of Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Alvaro Rubio always had an option to pass to on the flanks.
His teams lost two finals this year – Bengaluru in the AFC Cup and Kerala in the ISL. But on a personal level, Anto could not have had a much better year.
#2 Sandesh Jhingan
Jhingan was the best Indian defender on show for most part of the I-League. He was a terrific servant for Steve Coppell and the Kerala Blasters all season. It was even more special because he played at right-back and despite his limitations while going forward, he functioned brilliantly for Kerala.
It wasn’t a happy start to the year for Jhingan as his DSK Shivajians side struggled in the I-League, eventually finishing bottom. But the man from Punjab stood tall amidst the ruins.
He played alongside a whole host of partners for the Indian team, but he ensured that when he played, he took the responsibility of being the leader at the back for Stephen Constantine.
He had a point to prove in this year’s ISL after a disappointing personal campaign in addition to the disaster that the Kerala Blasters had. There was pressure on him in the ISL and he responded brilliantly to the pressure, even ensuring that Kerala didn’t miss their captain Aaron Hughes whenever he was away on international duty with Northern Ireland.
#1 Arnab Mondal
The best Indian defender of 2016 is the veteran from Kolkata. He has been his usual self - unassuming, consistent and most importantly, fighting till the battle was lost.
But the best facet of his game is that he is level-headed and he doesn’t do anything rash. He captained the East Bengal side that now has an outside chance of qualifying for the group stage of AFC Cup.
He led the Atletico de Kolkata defence throughout the ISL campaign, whenever was fit. He started every game for the national team and it was a largely good year for the Indian defence. India beat Afghanistan, Laos in both legs and Puerto Rico, conceding only three goals in those games.
He has played with youngsters at the back and his experience, in many ways, has been more important for India than his actual ability on the football field.
