ISL 2018-19: Chennaiyin FC 0-1 Mumbai City FC - 5 Talking Points

#2 Paulo Machado’s influence

Paulo Machado (second from left) bossed the midfield in Chennai. [Image: ISL]

Several eyebrows were raised when Mumbai City stripped Lucian Goian of the captaincy just days into the current campaign. Jorge Costa, however, claimed in the pre-match press conference he had three or four players with exceptional leadership qualities in his team.

Paulo Machado, a Portuguese midfielder who once shared his Porto dressing room with the Mumbai coach, justified his assertion with a humdinger of a performance. Standing up for teammate Modou Sougou and cooling off before matters escalated during a first-half scuffle, he proved an excellent leader on the pitch.

It wasn’t just his attitude, for he also proved solid in the midfield. With 45 passes and five tackles, he was all over the pitch, causing the shaky Chennai backline plenty of problems. With a stronger supporting cast, perhaps, he could have had a Team of the Week performance.