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The ISL was back in the capital on Wednesday as the travelling Highlanders made a visit to continue their run of away games. The match had a lot to offer except any goals. Both the teams got close but eventually could not create enough to bag all 3 points in the end.NorthEast FC are now unbeaten in their last two away games, as they got the better of Mumbai City FC in their previous match. Delhi Dynamos FC will not be happy with this result as they failed to break the Highlanders down in this thrilling encounter. They now have only 6 points to show for in their 4 games and 4 out of the 6 dropped points have been at home which is a worrying sign for Harm van Veldhoven.
#1 Ricki Herbert got it spot on, again!
The man who took New Zealand to the FIFA World Cup and got 3 unexpected draws against highly fancied teams like Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia did it again when his disciplined side restricted Delhi's attacking gameplay to sporadic chances. The New Zealander proved once again that he can take on any team with the right balance of players, which he got absolutely spot on their visit to the capital.
The Highlanders were properly drilled and motivated to get this job done and could've gotten all three points had the referee given the penalty for a challenge on Robin Gurung in the second half. Delhi Dynamos’ wingers were kept at bay and Ricki Herbert is the first manager to succesfully do this in the league. All the players knew exactly what was required of them and responded well after their previous away win in Mumbai which is a testament to their mental strength.
#2 A Battle Of Strong Midfields
An interesting battle went on in the midfield as Bruno Arrias and Mulder went up against NorthEast United FC's Mtonga and Guilherme. Both the partnerships did a perfect job on the defensive front but could not yield much while going forward. Hans Mulder did have a decent effort which was parried away to safety by the goalkeeper of the away team. Arrias wasn’t given much space to attack either as NorthEast United’s shape in the midfield was designed to restrict the home team’s ball distribution.
Mtonga sealed all the potential cracks on the right hand channel which was the most common avenue for exploitation in Delhi's last home game against Chennaiyin FC. Delhi’s wingers were taken out of the game and Mtonga and Guilherme were central to this job by restricting the ball distribution. The middle of the park was full of long distance runners on the day and NorthEast United effectively used all this stamina to minimized Delhi's Wingplay and box penetrations.
#3 Harm van Veldhoven could not adapt
Delhi Dynamos did show glimpses of brilliance and after the first half one might have thought that they were getting closer. This ceased to be the case as the home side looked like they were in a rut while the away side had a better showing in the second half. In a match where they were gradually drifting apart, the tactics were not changed and the absence of a Plan B might have just cost Delhi Dynamos FC the 2 points here.
The opposing manager had worked well to counter the 4-2-3-1 formation and Veldhoven could not find an effective response from his team. Dos Santos’ introduction induced a strong initial tempo but it never materialized into something substantial in the attacking third. Delhi Dynamos FC have a long way to go and a better team chemistry would result in quicker exchanges on the pitch to split open any defence.
#4 Low team Chemistry
It’s still early days in the ISL and it takes a certain amount of time for a newly formed group of players to connect with each other. The coaches have done well to inculcate the basic defensive discipline into their respective teams but fluidity in attack is still lacking. The Indian players in the NorthEast United’s squad are from a single club but to bring the same level of team chemistry instantly with some new foreigners is a big ask.
Harm van Veldhoven did talk about his players starting to gel but also mentioned about the difficulty in sustaining the momentum which they had in their previous 4-1 rout of Chennaiyin FC. Wednesday’s performance will be a set back in this aspect as his players ceased to have a cutting edge while going forward with a lack of link up play but it seems like they need a bit more time to reach a consistent level of fluidity.
#5 Del Piero\'s Fatigue
The famous Italian forward possesses that bit of magic that can create something out of nothing. However, at the age of 38, Del Piero is well past his fitness peak and in his second game in 4 days, an early withdrawal was eminent. He has been on the pitch for 90 minutes only once in the 4 games played by Delhi Dynamos FC. The 2006 World Cup winner was involved in most of the home team's first half chances and started well in the second half as well.
After a strong run on the right, he slid in Mats Junker whose flick was denied by the post. The former Juventus forward looked worn out shortly after the initial attacking spells in the second half and was subbed for Dos Santos in the 55th minute. Aided by a couple of selfish efforts, NorthEast United could contain the Brazilian with a relative ease.
