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The new season of the Indian Super League is now up and running in full swing, and with the first week, we have already our fair share of thrills and spills. The two new teams have struggled, some superstars have lit up the league again, and some young Indians have made the country sit up and take notice of their talent.
NorthEast United and Mumbai City FC have made the (very) early running, and sit atop the standings, but of course it is a little too early for the table to be of any relevance right now.
So, who makes our Team of Week 1? There are some absolute shoo-ins, like Amrinder Singh, who has kept two clean sheets with two top performances for Mumbai City FC, who have come out of two away fixtures unscathed and have four points on the board.
There are some regulars like Coro and Bartholomew Ogbeche, and there are unheralded faces like Jessel Carneiro, the Goan left-back who has improved in his debut ISL season for the Kerala Blasters.
Here's Sportskeeda's ISL TEAM OF THE WEEK.
Amrinder Singh
Two clean sheets, simple as that. When you don't concede a goal, at least you don't lose, and in Mumbai City's position, you'd take that given the state of their squad, which has been beleaguered by injuries, and that they have started their campaign with two tough away games.
Amrinder Singh had a rather uneventful game against Kerala Blasters, right up until the 95th minute, when he was called into action, and he responded with one of the greatest saves the ISL has ever seen since its inception in 2014.
Ogbeche received the ball from Sahal Abdul Samad, and turned to strike a fierce left-footed volley, only for Amrinder to stick out a strong left hand and divert the ball over his own post, and keep the three points with Mumbai.
And then on Sunday night in Chennai, Amrinder ensured that the hosts would have no Diwali festivities, with another solid display. He was called into action frequently early in the game, and made a superb double save to deny both Andre Schembri and Rafael Crivellaro within the opening five minutes.
He made seven saves in the game, in total, and over the course of his two games in the first week of the new season, he's completely earned his spot in our Team of the Week.
Juanan Gonzalez
One of the most consistent performers over the past couple of years in the ISL, Juanan Gonzalez just had another day at the office as Bengaluru FC opened their campaign at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium against NorthEast United.
Facing up against Asamoah Gyan is not an easy task for any defender, given the Ghanaian's power, strength and immense ability to bring others into play. Instead, Juanan didn't let Gyan's reputation precede him. He played the ball, not the man who had the ball, and he came out on top.
Sarthak Golui
In a new role at the heart of a back four this season, Sarthak Golui has started superbly. Yes, Mumbai have kept two clean sheets, and that's the most basic way to quantify his performances, but he has exuded confidence on the pitch, and that was a trait that was missing in his last season at FC Pune City.
What is commendable is that Golui has seamlessly stepped into a leadership role in that back four, after Mato Grgic's injury meant he couldn't even complete the first half of Mumbai's first game.
Sarthak has been strong against some good attackers in Ogbeche, Schembri and Nerijus Valskis. He's been fearless in the tackle, good in the air, but perhaps the most improved aspect is his reading of the game.
Several vital interceptions and blocks exemplified his performance against Chennaiyin, for which he was deservedly named Man of the Match.
Prabir Das
The last year has been a nightmare for the ATK defender, with a knee injury keeping him out of action for all of last season. It's been a hard grind for Prabir Das to get back, with several games in the CFL and with ATK's reserves in the I-League second division needed for him to get back to full fitness.
And now that he's back, he's got a manager who trusts him enough to deploy a system that gets the best out of his strengths, even if it has meant that regular right-back Pritam Kotal has had to slot in as a centre-back in a back three.
Prabir has not neglected his defensive duties at all, but he's been outstanding going on the other end of the pitch, and was especially dangerous in ATK's 5-0 romp over Hyderabad FC.
He even ended that game with an assist, setting up on a plate Edu Garcia's first goal of the night.
Jessel Carneiro
At 29, Jessel Carneiro is somewhat a late bloomer, if you look at it that way. He's made his ISL bow this season, and he has taken to the league like a fish to water. He's not felt out of place for a moment in the Blasters' two games thus far.
He's strong defensively, which is a pre-requisite, but with his cultured left-foot, he could well be a threat at the other end of the pitch. He's also won Eelco Schattorie's trust enough to take set-pieces, and has done his reputation no harm with the general quality of his deliveries.
He could've even had a goal against Mumbai City FC, with a rasping drive from distance, that dipped just over Amrinder's bar.
Piti
The 38-year-old was superb in his first game for Jamshedpur FC. Starting in midfield, just behind striker Sergio Castel, Piti pulled the strings brilliantly, and although he had neither an assist nor a goal to his name, his performance was every bit as influential as Castel, who scored the winning goal in their 2-1 win over Odisha FC.
His passing was crisp and direct, he had four shots and three crosses from encouraging positions, and he showed he wasn't afraid to put himself about, even making three tackles, from his advanced midfield position.
Brandon Fernandes
Playing in a slightly withdrawn midfield role, Brandon Fernandes was once again a star for FC Goa. He might not play there all season, given that Sergio Lobera will soon welcome back the likes of Ahmed Jahouh and Edu Bedia, but Brandon has certainly given his manager another option in that role.
He made 62 passes, and even got himself an assist, with a superb near-post set-piece that was blasted home by Carlos Pena
Redeem Tlang
One of the stars to emerge out of NorthEast United's 2018-19 ISL campaign, Redeem has started this season off on a similar note. He had a very good game in tough circumstances in Bengaluru, when NorthEast's approach meant he didn't get too much of the ball. Yet, he was disciplined and did his defensive duties, up against the power of Sunil Chhetri and Ashique Kuruniyan on the Bengaluru left flank.
When NorthEast went back to home comforts, Redeem scored the club's fastest ever goal, when he netted in the second minute against Odisha FC, leading the Highlanders to their first victory of the season.
David Williams
Much was spoken before the start of the season about the firepower that ATK had recruited from the A-League, in Aussie David Williams and Fijian Roy Krishna. Both had somewhat misfired in the opening game against Kerala, but Williams could've had a goal had he not been wrongly adjudged to be offside in the first half.
In their second game though, ATK hit Hyderabad FC, and the ISL debutants didn't know what hit them. Williams combined beautifully with Krishna and Javi Hernandez, and playing on the shoulder of the last defender all the time, he was a menace. With two superb finishes while one-on-one with Kamaljit Singh, Williams capped off an outstanding game that ATK eventually won 5-0.
Bartholomew Ogbeche
For a couple of years now, Kerala Blasters have been crying out for a player like Bartholomew Ogbeche. Now that they got him, he showed on day one why they were crying out for that lethal striker.
The Blasters were second best for large parts of a curious game against ATK, but the game was decided by a moment of pure brilliance from Ogbeche, who seemed to receive the ball in a harmless position on the edge of the box, only to rifle a bullet past Arindam Bhattacharja, for what was the eventual winner.
On nine out of ten days, he would have also rescued the Blasters a point in their second game, but he was denied by Amrinder's brilliance.
Ferran Corominas
It was a new role for Ferran Corominas in FC Goa's season opener against Chennaiyin FC. With three regular midfielders missing through injury or suspension, Sergio Lobera decided that Coro would have a more withdrawn role - more as a no.10, with Manvir Singh leading the line.
That didn't hamper the Spaniard at all. He was once again elusive with his movement, crisp with his passing, superb with his link-up play and of course, he got his customary goal. Tasty start to the season from the ISL's all-time top-scorer.
