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Every sport has its own set of terms, terms which only people who follow it closely or associate with pick up; others need homework. Considering how technical football is, the terms associated are also peculiar. But when it comes to the ISL, it has carved a niche for itself with respect to the terms associated with the league.Indian Super League has painted a beautiful, new picture of Indian football. The very aim is to uplift Indian football, recognise and nurture talent, and reward players for their efforts. This is the very reason we have a very cricket like presentation ceremony for the ISL where heroes, emerging youngsters, players who made an impact, ran their heart out, are all rewarded.With the ISL just a season old, and a few terms coined, there is huge interest amongst the faithful to get an absolute understanding of the terms they hear day in day out and then go out and engage in interesting discussions with their friends and collegues.Here are we trying to explain to you what the 5 most heard terms in the ISL mean:
#5 HP Enterprise Transformer of the Game
An award that has come into being just this season, there is an interesting attribute of this award. Unlike all the other awards that are awarded after each game, this award is pertinent to particular games where there is a performance worthy of the award.
In the most layman terms, it is to Hero of the Match what an assist is to a goal. This is awarded to a player who had a huge role to play in the game as well, in addition to the Hero of the Match. It is about the overall impact one had on the game.
For reference, Sunil Chhetri got both goals in the 2-0 win over the Delhi Dynamos FC and was the clear winner of the Hero of the Match award. But anyone who saw the match closely would understand how major an impact Sony Norde had on the game.
Similarly, for Chennaiyin FC against Mumbai City FC, although Mendoza struck both the goals and was the standout Hero of the Match, Elano Blumer had a pivotal role to play, right from controlling the pace of the game, to putting incisive final balls and getting the assists.
#4 Amul Swift Moment of the Match
Ronaldo wins the ball on the left, makes a run, cuts one defender, then another and plays it through for Benzema. Messi wins the ball in his half, makes a quick dash to the oppositions final third, nutmegs 2 defenders and then chips the goalkeeper.
Cut to the present, Gabriel Fernandes comes on for Mumbai, with his first touch, skips past Sena Ralte and then Augusto and puts in an inviting cross. Moments like these make the fans love the game and wait with great anticipation.
An enthralling contest is filled with such moments that gets the viewers to the zenith of excitement and makes them jump in joy. Impact players as we all know in football, are typically embodied with the responsibility to raise the number and frequency of such moments that sooner or later, leads to a goal for the team.
This particular award is just awarded on a per match basis and has no implications in the final presentation ceremony.
#3 Amul Fittest Player of the Match
A goal poacher, a wall at the back, an orchestrator in midfield, these are key to a teams success, but the kind of player every team wants and whose importance cannot be neglected is a runner. A guy who can add pace to the attack, track back when needed and do all the dirty running work is an integral part of any team. This is what the ISL gratifies.
Synonymous with their brand, Amul, reward the fittest player in the game, the guy who is seen all over the field, wherever needed, doing all the running for his team and contributing to the overall play.
The prime example of such a player would be a box to box midfield player or an attacking full-back who does the running up and down and contributes on either side of the pitch.
The game of football is all about fitness. In the end, it is one of the things that matter the most. It is a great step by the league to be celebrating players, who would otherwise go unnoticed or play second fiddle.
Mumbai City FC's Jan Stohanzlwas honoured with the Fittest player of the league last season for an all-round display throughout the season, despite his team not doing very well.
#2 ISL Emerging Player of the Match
The very foundation of the ISL is to provide an opportunity for the Indian players to play and learn from the best with the best of facilities. Every team, hence, is mandated to have on the field, at any given point of time in the match, a minimum of five Indian players on the field.
The ISL has provided a platform for the Indian players to play at a high level and prove a point to the world watching the league. As it has panned out, a few of the young Indian players have gone to an overseas sojourn to further harness their skills after impressing in the league.
The ISL Emerging Player of the Match is always awarded to an Indian player, who punches above his weight in the game and shows his A-game on the pitch. Crunching tackles, last ditch defending, brilliant shot-stopping, controlling the pace of the game, wonderful work down the flanks, scorcher of a goal; this award could be awarded for any of these.
An ISL Emerging Player of the League award is also presented at the end of the league. There were no arguments last year as to who was the best manfor this. Sandesh Jhingan, put together a string of brilliant performances for Kerala Blasters and was a pivotal figure in the Yellow Armys great defensive record, as they let in the least goals.
#1 Attack Index
Attack, defend, and pass it around. This is the game of football simply put in three words. But then this is just on the field, off of it, the fans play a vital role, also being the 12th man as and when required. And whats the most entertaining bit for them? The attack! Credit to the ISL as a property, and the enterprise of the teams, for getting a strong set of attack-minded players in the fray for the fans to enjoy and cheer.
Now an interesting term put to the fore by the ISL in this regard is the Attack Index. Attack Index basically is a measure of the forward push of a team and the thrust in their game. It is a combination of 7-8 attacking factors, right from passes in the opposition half to the time spent in the opposition final third, crosses sent in, shots taken, corners, final balls etc. It also takes into account the where on the field these acts happen. It is a complex matrix of all of these above mentioned factos.
The Attack Index has nothing to do with general possession of the ball and talks more about what is being done with the ball, and not just keeping the ball.
