The I-League is a gift that keeps on giving in terms of bringing forth talents from across the country to the forefront and giving them a platform to perform. With the ISL restricting Indian participation to only five per side, the I-League is where the unknown names of Indian football get a bigger chance to shine. And this year has been no different.
However, as is the case, there are always two sides of the coin. Whilst the season has gifted us with Aizawl FC’s fantastic title challenge and not to forget the youngest goalscorer in I-League history, there have been names that have gone missing.
Here’s our rundown of five players who’ve had a horror show in the I-League, featuring new signings, former stars and a certain award winner from last season.
#5 Juanan
Bengaluru continued their tradition of playing two foreign centre-backs this season as well when they signed Juan Antonio González Fernández or Juanan, as he is more familiarly known as. The former Real Madrid ‘B’ team player joined Bengaluru in August as a part of Albert Roca's Spanish revolution at the Kanteerava, taking his place alongside the omnipresent John Johnson as the main ball-playing defender.
However, while his ball-playing abilities have not been questioned, his abilities as a defender certainly have been. Whether it is the language barrier or the failure of the players, the Spaniard has looked uncomfortable time and again.
From the huge misunderstanding that led to Holicharan Narzary opening the scoring for DSK at Balewadi to Wedson Anselme slaloming past him like he didn’t even exist in the game against East Bengal, the 29-year-old has been found out on a number of occasions. And for a team that has based their title-winning campaigns on their astute defensive proficiency, this season has seen them being anything but astute at the back having conceded the second highest number of goals amongst the top five.
#4 Manandeep Singh
Three years and no goals. That’s more than likely to see you land on these kinds of lists.
One of the names that turned heads when Minerva Punjab announced its squad for the I-League this season was that of Manandeep Singh. About three years ago, Manandeep was the rising star of Indian football and that reputation was further bolstered when he commanded a price of Rs. 42 lakhs for the opening season of the ISL by the Delhi Dynamos.
However, that season was brought to an end by an injury and the brawny striker has never quite found his feet ever since. He went unsold in the next auction, and then got a chance with Kerala Blasters, which was, however, not a successful one. That was followed by trials in Norway and a stint with Salgaocar. And finally, on to Minerva.
The man from Hisar, Haryana is yet to figure out his game and his time to impress is running out. He looks like another example of talent that is likely to bite the dust. After some listless performances for the new I-League side, Manandeep was axed from the matchday squad for the last two games.
#3 Narayan Das
About a month ago whilst discussing the Indian team, when the time came to select a left-back, Narayan Das was the unanimous decision. Three months on and he is not even the first pick for East Bengal.
He might still be Stephen Constantine’s first choice but that decision would be purely based on his reputation and not at all on his performances from this season.
The Red and Gold have looked suspect at the back in recent times. And India’s premier left-back has been part of the problem rather than the solution. Das has provided little going forward and his performances at the back have led to Morgan resorting to Robert Lalthlamuana (another case of wasted potential).
A case and point would be the final thirty minutes against Bengaluru FC. Trevor Morgan called on Das to marshall the runs of Udanta Singh on East Bengal’s left flank after he had run Robert to the ground in the opening hour. However, what transpired was an exhibition of how poor Das has been this season. Udanta ran the East Bengal defender ragged and if the Manipuri had shown better composure and quality, the visitors would have been in for a tense finish.
#2 Jeje Lalpekhlua
The striker from Mizoram was one of the biggest shining lights in a promising campaign for Mohun Bagan last season which ended in a triumph in the Federation Cup. The top scorer in the cup with eight goals, he was awarded the Best Player of the Tournament due to his consistency which included a hat-trick in the semis against Shillong Lajong and a brace in the final.
Successes in the I-League and at the continental stage meant that he was a hot commodity at the beginning of the season with East Bengal showing interest in the forward. Although he has stuck around with Bagan, he is nowhere close to his best.
Looking out of shape and at times out of ideas, the Indian international has failed to inspire any confidence in the Green and Maroon camp. This has resulted in him yoyoing in the starting line-up and the results haven’t been good.
He has bagged four goals from 11 games this season and hasn’t found the back of the net since the 2-1 victory over league-leaders Aizawl in early February.
#1 Eugeneson Lyngdoh
Bengaluru FC’s defence of the title has been nothing short of a nightmare this season going by their usual standards. The team has failed to really to find a cutting edge under the tutelage of Albert Roca and a large reason for that has been the diabolical play at the centre of the park.
Whilst new signing Lenny Rodrigues has never looked like he has settled, it's the performances or rather the lack of them from Eugeneson Lyngdoh that have seen the Blues struggling this season. Lyngdoh has been the lynchpin of the side which has lifted the I-League twice and the Federation Cup once in the last three seasons.
He has been the soul of the side and has delivered almost every time the team has looked towards him. Whether it be a screamer like the one against Johor in the AFC Cup last season or finding Sunil Chhetri with his pinpoint passes, Lyngdoh has been the man for all occasions for the Blues. That is, of course, until this season.
This one, unfortunately for the Steelmen, has been marred by his inabilities rather than decorated by his skills. The midfielder has been clumsy on the ball and after being a non-factor against the likes of Aizawl, Mumbai FC and Minerva, Roca finally had to take the tough call of dropping him from the starting line-up in the game against East Bengal last month.
