ISL 2018-19, Jamshedpur FC 0-0 NorthEast United FC: 5 Hits and Flops

In a top of the table battle, NorthEast United FC traveled to Jamshedpur in hopes of cementing their place at the top of the ISL table.

Jamshedpur FC, who are in the fourth position, also looked to levitate them in the league standings.

Both the teams were coming on the back of thumping wins in their last matches.

NorthEast United FC last played away in a dominating 2-0 win against an FC Pune City FC and Jamshedpur FC secured a 3-1 win against a traveling Chennaiyin FC side.

NorthEast United FC has seen a complete turnaround of their fortunes from the previous seasons under a new manager in Eelco Schattorie.

Their brilliant performance shall also be credited highly to likes of players like Ogebeche and Fedrico Gallego who are currently at the top the most goals and most assists standings respectively.

NorthEast United FC has also enjoyed a good defensive performance in the league this season thanks to their goalkeeper Pawan Kumar and their foreigner defenders Mislav Komorski and Jose Leudo who have conceded only 8 goals in the season, the second-best performance in the league thus far.

But, NorthEast United FC knew they will be facing a tough side in Jamshedpur FC who are also one of the better performing teams of the league this season.

Under Coach Caeser Ferrando JFC looked a formidable line-up and had the second best goal scoring record with 18 goals in the season so far, after FC Goa.

Jamshedpur FC is also a side who are more known to play defensively and have only conceded 6 goals in the league so far. Players like Tiri, Carlos Calvo, Margado and Memo have been really strong for the Men of Steel this season.

The game started with both the teams playing with a defensive mindset and lacking an attacking flair.

Even though both the sides had moments of shots at the goal the game really didn’t live up to the standards that one would have expected from two top sides in the competition.

After the first thirty minutes, it looked very eminent that both sides are just looking to pass the full ninety and are happy to salvage a point from the match.

Even though it looked like a dull affair at 0-0 at the full time both the teams will be more than happy with the result especially at a stage in the competition when losing games are costlier than winning a game.

Even with a nil-nil scoreline, some players stood out while some faltered to perform. Here are the 5 hits and flops from the game.

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#5 Hit: Provat Lakra

Before taking the field, NorthEast United FC had an entire day of travel to Jamshedpur and coach Schattorie rotated a few players to keep the squad fresh for the game.

The rotation saw Provat Lakra make his debut for NorthEast United FC and he did a great job. The 21-year-old defender, who joined the Highlanders from Gokulam Kerala FC, showed real good signs of being an exciting right-back prospect for India.

Having just played four matches before this in the Indian Super League, Provat was pivotal in the defence, especially in keeping the dangerous Micheal Soosairaj at bay for the entire duration of the game.

Lakra was clinical with his interceptions, man-marking and crucial tackles both inside and outside of the box. He also had moments where he would contribute to the attack with his accurate passes and ball distribution.

It will be interesting to see if coach Eelco Schattorie will give a start to the youngster in the next match

#4 Hit: Jose Leudo

Following a day of travel to Jamshedpur, the players arrived tired for the game and NorthEast United FC deliberately started the match with a defensive mindset and accordingly required a strong defensive performance from its players.

Crucial for them at the defense was the presence of Jose Leudo who acted as a central defensive midfielder for the Highlanders.

Leudo also played a crucial role as the center for ball distribution throughout the length of the pitch.

Partnering well with Fedrico Gallego who also had an equally good game, Leudo was able to provide a defensive assistance by keeping the likes of Calvo, Memo, and Margado from taking a shot at the goal.

Throughout the match, he made five crucial interceptions and contributed a total of 42 passes during the game.

Leudo also helped in the attack for North-East as he provided perfect balls for Rowllin Borges and Batholomew Ogebeche. Leudo was recognised as the Man of the Match for his performance.

#3 Hit: Memo

A silent performer on the pitch, Memo turned out to be a crucial link for Jamshedpur’s midfield during the match.

Like every other game Memo could hardly be traced on the field but he impacted accordingly with his smart positioning and swift movements.

Talking in terms of numbers, Memo made a total of 78 passes, the most by any player on the pitch with an overall pass accuracy of 90% which speaks for itself.

The other convincing factor of Memo’s performance was the fact that he contributed to 16% of Jamshedpur FC's total passes during the game.

Memo has been a real find for Jamshedpur FC and is a regular starter for the Men of Steel in the previous season and also in this one.

Jamshedpur FC will be depending highly on players like Memo if they are to qualify for the playoffs this season.

#2 Hit: Robin Gurung

Another defender who makes it to the list is Robin Gurung, who probably had one of his best matches for Jamshedpur FC this season.

Gurung had a wonderful day at the right-back position and partnered well with Tiri and Pratik Chowdhary to keep the likes of Ogebeche and Fedrico Gallego silent throughout the match.

He proved his mettle by not only contributing to the Jamshedpur defense but also lounging forward to provide an extra attacking option for the men of steel.

In the 96 minutes he played, he came up with 36 passes but most importantly, he earned two crucial tackles and a total of eight clearances for Jamshedpur FC.

Even when he was not involved with the ball, he made sure to keep the North-East defenders busy by moving into areas of attack.

Least to say he was one of the busy footballers on the pitch and coach Caser Ferrando will be very pleased with his performance

#1 Flop: Sumeet Passi

Another game and another forgetful performance, Sumeet Passi was just another spectator during the game but with a better seat to watch the match.

A game which was overall played with a defensive mindset demanded a lot from the forwards to sneak out a result from the game and Sumeet Passi could do very little to help the cause.

Passi had a mere 4% of JFC’s total touches and just 4% of Jamshedpur FC’s overall passes during the game.

Even when midfielders Carlos Calvo and Morgado tried to break through the NorthEast United FC defence, Passi provided little help to provide them with an option to pass the ball or to provide some space for a shy at the goal.

As a starter in the line-up, one would expect better from a forward who is also a member of the National Squad.

After yesterday’s game, the question again arrives, “How many more chances for Passi?” especially when players like Farukh and Jerry are warming the bench.