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The second season of the Indian Super League has seen many new big names joining the franchises, while some of the players who performed brilliantly last season were retained by their clubs.What makes players great is their ability to be consistent and show that their performances were not a fluke. There are a few players who came into the season with a lot of expectations but have disappointed us. We take a look at the Top 5 players whose performances haven’t been up to the mark this season:
#1 Bernard Mendy
The former French international was signed by Chennaiyin FC last season, and was one of their best performers as they finished top of the table during the group stages last season, but he has been a liabilty this season. Chennaiyin have conceded 15 goals this season, and a few of them have gone in due to individual errors by Mendy. He was expected to be the mainstay of the team this season, but his performances have been disappointing.
The 34-year-old has played in central defence for them this season and has failed to get a very good understanding going with his defensive partners. He has also looked a little laboured and needs to pick up his performances.
A youth product of Caen, he started his senior career also at Caen before moving to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint Germain. He made over 200 appearances for them, and even claimed in a recent interview he was the best right back in the world in 2004. He has also played for Premier League clubs Bolton Wanderers and Hull City.
Mendy was a very influential member of the Chennai outfit last season, but he has failed to replicate the same level of performances this season.
#2 Adrian Mutu
Adrian Mutu was signed by FC Pune City at the start of the season, and a lot was expected of him. Having proven himself at some of the biggest clubs in Europe, it was expected that he would add a lot to Pune’s armoury. However, the former Romanian international has scored just the two goals in 7 appearances and his peformances on the field have in general also been underwhelming.
FC Pune City despite their good start to the tournament are now struggling to get back into the top 4, and the fact that Mutu hasn’t really delivered the goods adds to the problem.
Mutu, a youth product of Arges Pitesi, made his first big career move came when he signed for Inter in 1999, but it didn’t quite work out well for him there. He then played for other Serie A sides like Verona and Parma before making his big move to Premier League giants Chelsea in 2004.
After spending two seasons at Chelsea another, he was signed by Juventus, but he couldn’t do much there too. Mutu’s best performances came while playing for Fiorentina in the Serie A where he spent 5 successful seasons.
#3 Subrata Paul
It’s not been a perfect year for the former Indian national team skipper on the field. Not only has he lost his place in the Indian national team to Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, but he has also failed to put up good performances in the Indian Super League.
Mumbai City FC are seventh in the the Indian Super League standings, and Paul has conceded 17 goals in 9 matches. He was also between the sticks when Mumbai City FC lost 7-0 to FC Goa.
The Tata Football Academy product has been guilty of making a couple of crucial mistakes this season, which have cost his side.
He has represented the nation 63 times and became the first Indian goalkeeper to play for a foreign team when he signed for FC Vestsjaelland of the Danish Superliga. Paul has featured for several I-league sides including Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal and was voted as the best goalkeeper in the I-League in 2007.
Mumbai would be hoping that he gets back to his best ahead of their final group stage matches, as they need his presence to try and make a final push for the top 4 spots.
#4 Sanchez Watt
A lot was expected from the former Arsenal man, but his performances have failed to light up the Indian Super League this season. The 24-year-old has made 9 appearances for Kerala Blasters this season and scored just two goals.
Kerala Blasters find themselves at the bottom of the table this season after finish as runners-up last season, and a lot of blame goes to their new signings like Sanchez Watt, young players who could have done very well, but have failed to come up with match-winning performances.
Watt, a youth product of the famous Arsenal academy, never made it to their senior team, and was loaned to several English teams like Southend United, Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday. He then made a permanent move to Colchester United before making a move to the Indian Super League. He has also represented England youth sides across all levels.
He recently suffered an injury that ruled him out of the rest of the season, as a result of which the team finds itself in some bother.
#5 Harmanjot Singh Khabra
Harmanjot Khabra made 15 appearances for Chennaiyin FC last season and his brilliant performances saw him retain his position in the starting XI this season. However, he has underperformed badly this season and has been one of the reasons why his team struggled during the middle part of the season.
The 26-year-old has made 9 appearances for Chennaiyin FC this season, but has failed to dominate the midfield, and has come up with lacklustre performances this season. There is little doubt Chennaiyin FC have struggled this season because of an almost non-existent midfield, and Khabra is one of the players to be blamed.
Khabra, who has made two appearances for the Indian national team, is a youth product of the famous Tata Football academy. He was then signed for Sporting Goa, where he spent 4 seasons before making a move to I-League giants East Bengal, whom he also captained during the 2014-15 season.
Apart from not performing well, he has also not been able to control his temper on the field, and has been sent off twice, affecting his team adversely and leaving them short of good options in midfield.
His dynamic performance in his team's 4-0 win over Delhi Dynamos was a reminder of how good he can be and his team would need him to play at that level so that they can ensure their place in the final four.
