5 players who were part of ISL 2019-20 but deserved more playing time

Samuel Lalmuanpuia (Right) and Sarthal Golui (Left)
Samuel Lalmuanpuia (Right) and Sarthal Golui (Left)

#1 Samuel Lalmuanpuia (Kerala Blasters)

Samuel Lalmuanpuia (27)
Samuel Lalmuanpuia (27)

Samuel Lalmuanpuia's move to Kerala Blasters had attracted a lot of attention given his heroics for Shillong Lajong in the I-League previously. The attacking-midfielder, however, was not a first-choice at Kerala and did not start even a single game.

Samuel played 59 minutes from 5 games and completed 43 passes and three shots. Only once was he introduced into the game before the 80th minute and was never really handed a chance to prove his mettle.

Eelco Schattorie, for the majority of the season, played with two strikers and no full-time attacking midfielder. As a result, Samuel Lalmuanpuia had no perfect role in the formation, and the other attacking midfielder, Sahal Abdul Samad was played out of position, on the wing.

But still, altering the tactics or slotting him on the flanks while the wingers were going through a difficult time could have helped the club and player in the long run. From the captain of an I-League side to a substitute player in ISL, the 21-year-old had a bitter period in terms of game time at Blasters.

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