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After a first week of full throttle football, with goals galore, there was a little down spike in the middle, understandably so, with tight fixtures and humid weather taking a toll on the teams. But the conditioning units of the teams have clearly done a good job as the last week saw some exciting matches and good football.A week full of enthralling games and no dearth of goals, the ISL has taken an interesting twist. There has been a lot of movement on the table. A lot of surprises were thrown in as well, the biggest being the defeats of Delhi Dynamos, who were on a 3 game winning streak, and table toppers FC Goa at the hands of Mumbai City FC, who had struggled a lot until this point.A 2-0 win in both games not only did a world of good to them, it opened up the league. FC Goa had earlier gone on top, with a win against a more dominating Kerala Blasters, and still remain there despite the defeat.While Chennaiyin FC remained in the fray with a 2-1 win over fancied FC Pune City, it was NorthEast United, who produced the results of the week, pulling off 2 wins on the trot against strong Chennaiyin FC and Atletico de Kolkata outfits.A lot of great last ditch defending, methodical midfield play and exciting attacking initiatve was seen. This is our pick for the team of the week (Oct 20-Oct 25) going out in a 4-1-4-1 formation.
#1 Goalkeeper
TP Rehenesh (NorthEast United)
When a keeper keeps 2 clean sheets against the likes of Chennaiyin FC and Atletico de Kolkata, you don’t need to look beyond him. TP Rehenesh was given the responsibility between sticks by Cesar Farias and the youngster didn’t disappoint.
Rehenesh had a two fantastic outings wherein he kept the likes of Mendoza, Elano, Javi Lara, Hume and Borja Fernandes at bay. A string of wonderful saves across the two games in addition to a confident display in the box ensured NorthEast United came away with two clean sheets.
The goalkeeper ensured that he commanded his box very well and made some very good saves, putting his body on the line, especially against Atletico de Kolkata. After a couple of poor early displays, Rehenesh seems to be back to the form that earned him plaudits last season.
#2 Defence
Robin Gurung
A strong defence is an integral part of any team’s success. With teams focused on going forward and getting goals, the importance of the defence goes up that many notches.
We saw quite a few good, resolute defensive performances across teams, but our first pick for the back-line is the versatile NorthEast United FC defender Robin Gurung. Gurung, who by trait is a centre-back, was deployed as a left-back, and the youngster was unfazed by the same. He was very strong in the tackle and offered great mobility throughout the game.
Last ditch tackles, up and down movement on the flanks, great reading of the game, his game had all those attributes in abundance as he played a pivotal role in keeping two clean sheets for the Highlanders. Though Velez provided the winning finish in the game against ATK, Robin Gurung was the unsung hero at the back with a heroic performance. Due to his versatility, he takes his place as the right-back on defence.
Pavel Cmovs
Though the likes of Bernard Mendy and Gregory Arnolin had a goal apiece for their teams, which also helped their teams get wins, a defender’s major responsibility is to defend and mark their lines. So we have Mumbai City FC’s Pavel Cmovs and NorthEast United’s Cedric Hengbart marshalling the defence. Cmovs was Mumbai City FC’s wall at the back last season and he is continuing to be the same. He kept a close check on Robin Singh and nullified his aerial threat, while he also thrived against FC Goa, keeping the likes of Moura, Daryll Duffy and Victorino Fernandes quiet, and adding another clean sheet to his tally.
Cedric Hengbart
Hengbart, on the other hand, showed why NorthEast United went out to get him from Kerala Blasters. An experienced head, he is fearless while going into tackles and is a leader in the backline and all those qualities were on display in the last two games. Not only have the youngsters found a mentor in him, the opposition have found a foe in Hengbart.
Lalchhuanmawia Fanai
Fanai, the Mumbai City FC left back impressed with his work ethic and overall play. He combined well with Norde on the left and despite reluctance from Norde to track-back and provide extra support, Fanai managed well in shutting off the left flank.
#3 Midfield
Bruno Arias
The Spaniard Bruno Arias would just sit in front of the back four and break play, and connect the the three lines, just what he does for NorthEast United FC. Not only has Arias put together a string of important interceptions, he has orchestrated the play very well for the Highlanders.
His forward looking thinking has also helped the side knit together some good moves. If his game against Chennaiyin FC wasn’t as good, he put in a brilliant performance against the defending champions and managed to threaten the ATK defence on many occasions.
Sanju Pradhan
Sanju Pradhan has been a revelation for the Highlanders. Though not a starter, Sanju has turned out to be the impact player, being instrumental in NorthEast United’s resurgence. He provided the assist for Nicolas Velez in both games and has looked a threatening commodity on the right and this is where he finds a place in our side.
Sunil Chhetri
The attacking section of midfield shall be taken care of by the inventive Sunil Chhetri and Leandro Moura, the two playmakers for the sides. Chhetri struck a brace against Delhi in what was a brilliant performance from the India captain. He put his quality and experience on display. He also netted a first half penalty in Mumbai’s 2-0 win against the table toppers FC Goa.
Leo Moura
Leo Moura too scored a leveller against Kerala Blasters and then continued to trouble the Yellow army, orchestrating play and initiating all the moves. Although FC Goa had a disappointing result against Mumbai City FC, Moura was the only player who had some effect in the game for the Gaurs. He did try to influence the game, putting in some good balls for Victorino and Duffy, but to no avail.
Sony Norde
Sony Norde has been one of the better players for Mumbai and has shown just why he is so highly rated. The Mumbai City FC creative spark had two assists for Chhetri’s two goals against Delhi and was instrumental in cutting through their defence. He also was good against Goa, and threatened down the left flank throughout the match.
#4 Attack
Another super-sub for NorthEast United, Nicolas Velez showed glimpses of what he is capable of in the early phase of the league and has now found his feet. The 25-year-old Argentine starred in two consecutive wins for the Highlanders.
Scoring in added time at the end of the second half against Chennaiyin FC, he put to bed any chances of a Chennaiyin FC comeback. He followed that up by scoring the winner against Atletico, showing exactly why he was bought by the John Abraham owned franchise.
