ISL 2017/18: Top 5 midfielders of round 8

Everton Santos (Photo: ISL)
Everton Santos (Photo: ISL)

The eighth week of ISL 2017/18 has come to an end and in the five games we witnessed, there were some superb performances from various teams.

NorthEast United recorded their first home win while Delhi Dynamos also ended their losing run. Bengaluru FC were the only other team to record a win in the round.

Here, we look at five midfielders whose performances stood out.

Everton Santos

Though Thiago Santos gained all the plaudits, Everton Santos also played a crucial role in helping Mumbai City FC secure a 2-2 away draw with Jamshedpur FC. The Brazilian winger provided two assists. Though Thiago’s first goal had nothing to do with the pass, he will definitely be grateful to Everton for the cross which led to his second goal.

The Brazilian impressed with his work rate and directness with the ball going forward and was a threat throughout the match. He has been involved in six goals so far (2 goals and 4 assists) and his speed and willingness to run in behind the defences offers Mumbai City FC a different dimension going forward. His 11 shots on target are the most by a Mumbai City FC player so far.

Ashique Kuruniyan

Ashique Kuruniyan (Photo: ISL)
Ashique Kuruniyan (Photo: ISL)

The young winger though is a forward but is impressing playing on the wing for FC Pune City. Ashique Kuruniyan scored a goal against NorthEast United and followed it up by assisting Marcelinho’s opener against Kerala Blasters.

The young winger's quick 1-2 helped Marcelinho through on goal highlighting his awareness and quick thinking. The 21-year-old was also a threat himself with pace and trickery. He also came close to scoring on a couple of occasions. The youngster has been one of the breakthrough stars of ISL, impressing with his work rate and technique. His stint at Villarreal last year seems to have improved him by leaps and bounds.

Manuel Arana

Manuel Arana (Photo: ISL)
Manuel Arana (Photo: ISL)

Manuel Arana was unlucky to be on the losing side for despite producing a superb performance against NorthEast United. The Spaniard equalised from a tight angle, lashing in a volley from close range, taking advantage of a defensive mistake. Though FC Goa lost the match, Arana’s performance was a bright spot for FC Goa’s head coach Sergio Lobera.

The 33- year-old created several chances for his teammates and also came close to doubling his tally due to his clever movement in the box. Despite not starting all the matches Arana has contributed with 5 goals (3 goals and 2 assists) so far.

Marcinho

Marcinho (Photo: ISL)
Marcinho (Photo: ISL)

The NorthEast United playmaker was the Highlanders' best player of the campaign and was unsurprisingly the man to break the deadlock for the Highlanders with a quality finish from Danilo’ cross.

The Brazilian also provided the assist for NorthEast United’s 2nd goal with a defence-splitting pass. The 31-year old ran the midfield with his touch, vision and quality of passing.

Marcinho has impressed with his ability to skip away from opposition challenges and his ability to dictate play. He was arguably the only blameless player for NorthEast United’s underwhelming campaign so far. Marcinho’s form is crucial if NorthEast United are to reach their first ever ISL semi-final.

Thiago Santos

Thiago Santos (Photo: ISL)
Thiago Santos (Photo: ISL)

Thiago Santos was unarguably the star of the round, scoring a brilliant brace to help Mumbai City FC secure a 2-2 away draw with Jamshedpur FC. His first goal was arguably the goal of the tournament so far.

The Brazilian received the pass outside the box and dribbled past 4 challenges and bend the ball in the corner. His 2nd goal was also a quality finish volleying in the bottom corner from the edge of the box. The Brazilian has scored 4 goals so far, among the midfielders, only Manuel Lanzarote has scored more goals so far in ISL 2017/18.

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Edited by Soumo Ghosh