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Bengaluru FC will look to go one better in the 2018-19 season of the ISL after they were beaten in the final of the tournament last year by Chennaiyin FC. Bengaluru topped the league table last season, only for that to go to nothing after they were well beaten in the final by Chennaiyin.
There is new management at Bengaluru this year, with old assistant coach Carles Cuadrat taking over the reins from Albert Roca, who decided not to extend his stint with the Blues.
The Blues come into the ISL on the back of a disappointing result in the AFC Cup Inter-Zonal semifinal, where they were humbled 5-2 on aggregate by Turkmenistan's Altyn Asyr FK, who were better than the Blues in every aspect.
Bengaluru had huge concerns with their defence in that tie, with even the usually reliable Gurpreet Singh Sandhu making a couple of howlers. But Cuadrat will know that his players have more quality than they showed over those 180 minutes, and will hope the ISL starts with a bang when the Blues play the champions at the Kanteerava Stadium in their opening game.
Here we take a look at why Bengaluru are still strong contenders for the title, and why it would be insane to write them off
#5 The Flying Wingers
Last season, Bengaluru had Udanta Singh to fly up and down the wing and provide the firepower for skipper Sunil Chhetri and Miku to score goals. This season, Udanta has two more accomplices in Kean Lewis and Bhutanese star Chencho Gyeltshen to add to the Blues' firepower from the wide positions.
Given the possession-based system that Bengaluru do employ, it is important for them that their wingers are continuously in the game, as they help stretch play and drag opposition defenders out of position. In a possession system, a winger's role is not just to run up the flank and deliver balls into the box.
For the likes of Udanta, it is important for them to be in constant motion, and providing options for the man in possession to play the ball to. With full-backs who like getting forward, in Nishu Kumar and Rahul Bheke, Bengaluru's wingers have the ideal foil to express themselves out on the field.
Chencho was the undisputed star of the I-League last season, and it was an obvious move for Bengaluru to make, especially given off-field circumstances and his immense popularity in his home nation of Bhutan. But Chencho's value on the pitch will also be of immense use to Bengaluru.
Kean Lewis, too, has a point to prove. After a promising start with Mohun Bagan and an explosive season with the Delhi Dynamos in 2016, the Mumbai man's form has tapered off over the last 18 months. With the quality around him in training every day, this is the ideal opportunity for Lewis to reinvent himself.
Last season, Miku and Chhetri got 29 ISL goals between them, and the next highest was Erik Paartalu with three. If Bengaluru's wingers can get 10-15 goals between them for the season, that would add a whole new dimension to a side that is already filled with match-winners.
#4 A strong midfield engine room
Erik Paartalu and Dimas Delgado both signed contract extensions in the off-season, and for Bengaluru fans, there was not much that could top the news that their midfield engine room would be staying intact for the new season as well.
Dimas and Paartalu compliment each other really well in the middle of the park and will be arguably even more important to Bengaluru's fortunes than Miku and Chhetri.
Paartalu offers a fantastic screen in front of a Bengaluru defence, that has been weakened by the losses of key players from last season, John Johnson and Subhasish Bose. The big Aussie is almost impenetrable in the air and has the fantastic ability to read the play and make crucial tackles and interceptions.
Dimas, on the other hand, is a typical Spanish central midfield. He is a wizard on the ball, with his vision and trickery enabling him to dictate the flow of games from the centre of the park. Last season, especially after the departure of Edu Garcia to China, Dimas stepped up massively and won games single-handedly from the midfield.
Dimas's threat from set-pieces will also be crucial to Bengaluru, whose new coach was the mastermind of their set-piece strategy which brought them plenty of goals last season. Paartalu was the chief contributor from dead-ball situations, with three headed goals in the ISL.
#3 Continuity
It is almost a fashion for most ISL teams to keep chopping and changing with their players and manager from season-to-season. But like FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC, Bengaluru have always believed in continuity with their personnel.
This season, they have lost Roca and have a new manager in Cuadrat, but not much will change for the Blues. Cuadrat has barely worked in football without Roca, so his style and philosophy will not be vastly different to his predecessor.
Also, in Chhetri, Udanta, Miku, Paartalu, Dimas and Juanan, Bengaluru have also tied down their crucial players to play for them for at least another season.
The Blues played some of the best football in the league last season, especially from January onwards, and their pass and move philosophy is going to remain the same. Edu Garcia, who was a pivotal player until he left for China, has also been replaced by another Spaniard in Xisco Hernandez.
Cuadrat has a defence to sort out, but he has got the personnel who can ensure the levels of performance are higher than what it was against Altyn Asyr. Rahul Bheke has gone under the radar, but was one of the most impressive Indian defenders last season. Bengaluru darling Rino Anto is back, and in Harmanjot Khabra and Nishu Kumar, they have got two full-backs who have been with Bengaluru for a long time and know the system inside-out.
#2 The best goalkeeper in the country
Much has been said about Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's comments in the aftermath of last year's final, which were ill-worded and maybe even ill-timed. But on the footballing side, there is still little doubt that he is India's best between the sticks.
The big man had the joint most clean-sheets in the league last season (7), and ended the season with the third-most number of saves, making 46 saves in 19 games. He is someone who has added a lot of steel to Bengaluru at the back and is a leader at the back.
It is obvious while watching Bengaluru matches that Gurpreet is never silent, always ordering his defenders to get into the right positions. He is also a commanding presence against crosses into the box.
His 6' 6" frame allows him to grasp balls from thin air which other goalkeepers might not be able to do. As he showed against Jeje Lalpekhlua last season, he is not a mug when it comes to stopping penalties either.
Gurpreet is also the first line of attack for Bengaluru, with his perfectly timed punts forward for Chhetri working a treat for the Blues on multiple occasions last season.
#1 The deadly duo up front
15 goals for Miku, 14 goals for Sunil Chhetri. The two hit-men combined to score 29 of the 40 goals that Bengaluru scored in the league last season. That tells you all you need to know about the constant threat that will be posed by the Indian captain and the Venezuelan sniper.
But with both Miku and Chhetri, their contributions don't end with just the goals they score. Some of the interplays we saw last season from the Bengaluru front three, which also included Udanta, was breath-taking and some of the most beautiful football seen in Indian football.
Miku's awareness of what is around him, and his ability to manoeuvre the ball in tight situations and find a team-mate is a huge asset to a Bengaluru side, which is a deadly force on the counter-attack, apart from being a possession-heavy team.
Chhetri and Miku have developed a fabulous understanding with each other, with both having an instinctive knowledge where the other will be. Along with Udanta, it is a joy to watch them function in tandem.
The movement at pace to create space for each other creates mayhem for most opposition defenders, and it is important for Bengaluru that their artillery is in top shape again.
Chhetri is third and Miku 8th in the overall ISL scorers chart, and for the Kanteerava faithful, the hope is that their two hitmen don't disappoint. If they don't, another joyride is on the cards in India's garden city.
