I-League: Five things we have learned after the first nine rounds

The first nine rounds of the Airtel I-League have been completed with plenty of talking points. The league is now set for a two-week break due to India’s two international friendlies against the Philippines and Nepal during the international break.

Sportskeeda lists the five things that we have learned so far.

East Bengal must earn the right to win

Photo Credit: AIFF Media

East Bengal undoubtedly have the best team on paper but their performances and results don’t reflect that. The red-and-gold-brigade still have plenty of games in hand but seven points from five outings is not the kind of return one would expect from a title contender. Despite the abundance of talent in their team, East Bengal are currently having massive internal problems as the majority of the squad are not getting along with Brazilian coach Marcos Falopa, who still doesn’t know his best eleven. Falopa’s team selections have been questionable with the side lacking balance and key performers from last season like Arnab Mondal and Edeh Chid playing without confidence.

East Bengal still have plenty of time to find consistency but to do that they must start performing and not just rely on their reputation and the fact that they reached the AFC Cup semi-finals. The Kolkata giants must avoid complacency and show the same work ethic and hunger that saw them make India proud in Asian football. Falopa though may not be in charge for long with the Kolkata derby against Mohun Bagan on November 24 possibly being his last chance to win the confidence of the players, fans and club officials.

It’s an open league

Rock-bottom Rangdajied United nearly defeated table toppers SalgaocarPhoto Credit: AIFF Media

The Barclays Premier League (BPL) is the most watched domestic league because of its competitiveness as any team is capable of beating anyone on a given day. While the I-League still has a long way to go to even become popular in India, it certainly is as competitive as the BPL if not more. This season more than ever its an open league with no standout team on paper besides East Bengal and with the Kolkata giants also having problems of their own, the I-League is anybody’s to win at present. This aspect was even more evident in round nine as rock-bottom and winless Rangdajied United raced into a 2-0 lead against league leaders Salgaocar and possibly would have recorded maximum points but for a world class equaliser from Salgaocar’s Gilbert Olivera.

Only seven points separates Salgaocar and tenth-placed Dempo while East Bengal, who are 11th, have three games in hand. One big reason behind such openness in the league is the absence of several top Indian players who are contracted with IMG-Reliance. It has made the teams even more dependent on their foreigners while the league has got unpredictable. There is hardly anything to choose from between most of the sides and it will remain that way unless all clubs decide to sign IMG-R players

Salgaocar are worthy leaders

Photo Credit: AIFF Media

It’s still early days but Salgaocar do look like genuine title contenders. The table will say that Pune FC are not far behind but the Red Lizards have mostly been successful at home as they have won all four matches in Pune but have picked up only four points from three away outings. On the other hand Salgaocar have produced strong performances and got good results both home and away. The Goan giants just completed a sequence of five straight away games, picking up ten points from it including the come-from-behind draw against Rangdajied United. Key away results include the wins over Kolkata’s United SC and East Bengal with their passing and movement being very pleasing on the eye.

Scotsman Darryl Duffy has settled very well into Indian football scoring six goals already but the key difference for Salgaocar this term has been the appointment of Derrick Pereira, who has always done wonders with modest squads and looks set to build another title-winning team. The concern for Salgaocar will be that they don’t have enough strength in depth but most teams face that problem and the plus point is that they have been the most consistent side so far despite only playing with three foreigners as newly-signed Australian Matthew Foschini is yet to make his debut.

Indian forwards are struggling

Even India internationals like Robin Singh (left) and Sunil Chhetri are struggling

Sportskeeda had discussed at the start of the season that the rule of allowing four foreigners in the starting eleven was a death-knell for Indian forwards and so it is proving to be. Not surprisingly there is not a single Indian in the top eight of the individual scoring chart with only Dempo’s Jeje Lalpekhlua and Balwant Singh of Churchill Brothers reaching the milestone of ‘three’. What has been more worrying is the fact that India internationals like Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh (both Bengaluru FC) and Dawson Fernandes (Sporting Clube) have either been playing out of position or being named among the substitutes. India skipper Sunil has mostly been used a left winger at Bengaluru FC and that has made life very difficult for the Arjuna Awardee as he has managed just one goal from open play in eight appearances.Robin and Dawson have been mostly bit-part players and that is a huge concern as these three are the ones chosen by Wim Koevermans in the India squad for the upcoming friendlies.

To be fair to the Dutchman there weren’t many other options other than Jeje, who was named among the standbys, and perhaps CS Sabeeth of Mohun Bagan as most clubs start with two foreigners upfront. In a recent meeting of the AIFF technical committee, chaired by former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia, the need to reduce the number of foreigners was discussed. If a call on that is not taken anytime soon, Koevermans might be forced to play a false nine!

Still a fading brand

Bengaluru FC have added something positive to the I-League but the competition still remains a fading brandPhoto Credit: Bengaluru FC

As much as the few Indian football fans passionately follow the I-League and debate on the social media, the fact is that the tournament remains a fading brand with most people even in many I-League venues unaware about it. The entry of Bengaluru FC and the promotions of Rangdajied United and Mohammedan Sporting have been encouraging as the average attendance has improved but the competition hasn’t seen much growth overall as there is very little effort from the federation, its sponsors and the majority of the clubs to make it more marketable. The AIFF must be given credit for roping in Airtel as the title sponsor at a time when most I-League clubs are struggling financially but that hasn’t really changed the stature of the competition as it remains relevant and important to a very small section of our country’s population.

Matches are shown LIVE every round but the presentation is not good enough especially considering that the Indian audience is now exposed to quality European football coverage week in week out. As a result the I-League is still struggling to attract new audiences and corporates. Forget United Sports Club, even defending champions Churchill Brothers haven’t found a sponsor yet. While the I-League clubs showed great unity to oppose IMG-R’s Indian Super League, so far at least there has been hardly any effort from their side to improve the condition of their very own I-League barring a few exceptions like Bengaluru FC and Pune FC.