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The league phase of the third season of Hero Indian Super League has just concluded and the top four teams have reached the knockout stages. Mumbai City FC, Kerala Blasters, Delhi Dynamos FC and Atletico de Kolkata are the four sides who will feature in the play-offs of the ISL this season.
While Atletico have been the only team to have qualified for the knockouts in all three seasons, Mumbai City FC make it to the play-offs for the first time. Delhi Dynamos have continued the good work from last season, qualifying for the second season in a row and Kerala Blasters have replicated their highs of the first season to make it to the final four.
With the playoffs beginning from the 10th of December, we take a look at the possible winners for the Most Valuable Player award in the league this season.
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#1 Javi Lara
The Atletico de Kolkata winger has been pivotal to the team making the semi-finals for the third season in a row in the Indian Super League. Lara has helped provide width to the team, along with helping out in defence with his great work ethic.
His delivery on set-pieces is incredible, and for a team reliant on multiple contributors to help out in scoring, the Spaniard's three goals have been invaluable.
Javi Lara has linked up well with strikers Iain Hume, Helder Postiga and Juan Belencoso, and continuously swapped flanks with fellow winger Sameehg Doutie to ensure the opposing defenders are always on their toes.
Having taken 27 shots on goal, with 20 of them on target, he is their most dangerous attacking threat and the Kerala defence will be wary of the threat he possesses.
One of only two Kolkata players to have played all the group stage matches, Lara has been an ever present in the side and will be key to their hopes of winning their second Indian Super League title in three seasons.
#2 Cedric Hengbart
Armed with a never-say-die attitude on the pitch, Hengbart has emerged as a consummate team player and fan favourite during his three seasons in the league.
The player plied his trade for Kerala Blasters in the first season, switched to NorthEast United for the second season and returned to his former club for the third season.
The Blasters had reached the finals in the first season, but plummeted to the bottom of the table in the second season, conceding 27 goals. Nothing went right for them last season, and thus, they entrusted the job of reorganizing their defence to their star defender from season one, Cedric Hengbart.
The Frenchman did not disappoint his coach, Steve Coppell, bringing some much-needed calmness and composure to his side’s flailing defence.
With Aaron Hughes and Sandesh Jhingan beside him in defence, they have conceded just 15 goals this season, 12 less than what they did in 2015.
Hengbart has made 30 tackles, some of them being goal-saving ones. Apart from those impressive numbers, the powerful defender has also won 31 aerial duels and has made 25 interceptions.
The Frenchman has made 39 appearances in the ISL and his team can count on his experience to take them all the way. The defender had registered 101 clearances and 49 tackles in 2014 with the Kerala Blasters, an unbroken record till date.
#3 Lucian Goian
Mumbai City FC had never qualified for the playoffs in the first two seasons of the Indian Super League, but season three saw the team mount an impressive revival of sorts, finishing the league phase at the top. The Mumbai side, managed brilliantly by Alexandre Guimares, have been excellent in all aspects of the game.
For Mumbai, defence has always been a problem. The team conceded 21 goals in the first season, finishing the league in seventh spot. Bettering their position last season, Mumbai finished in sixth spot, conceding 26 in the process.
This season however, the team have conceded the least in the league, a paltry eight goals, and a major share of the credit should be given to their defensive talisman, Lucian Goian.
The player has made 67 tackles in 14 games, at an astonishing average of 4.8 tackles every game. The Romanian has also won 25 aerials duels and made 31 interceptions in the league, making him hands down the best defender this season.
Indian defenders Anwar Ali and Sena Ralte, have both benefited from playing alongside him, and helped him in making Mumbai a tough team to beat.
#4 Diego Forlan
The Golden Ball winner at the 2010 World Cup deserves to be on this list, for the influence that he has had in attack for Mumbai. While Goian has taken Mumbai to the top of the table with his defensive heroics, Forlan has done much of the damage in the attacking third.
The Uruguayan is one of the biggest players to have ever set foot in the Indian Super League and hasn’t disappointed fans with his all-round performances.
Forlan has not been able to play all games, but he has ensured his performances are right on the money whenever he has been in the team.
Beginning slowly, the former Manchester United forward hit the ground running after his comeback, scoring the first hat-trick of this season against the Kerala Blasters FC, helping Mumbai blank the opposition 5-0. The free-kick specialist has also taken some sweet free-kicks, making life difficult for the opposition.
The player has also taken part in a lot of link-up play, completing 249 passes, mostly in the opposition half. The marquee player has scored five goals in total and assisted two.
Having combined brilliantly with Matias Defederico and Indian captain Sunil Chhetri, Forlan is spearheading one of the most balanced sides in the ISL this season and needs to keep firing to lead his team to the title.
#5 Marcelinho
If one looks at each ISL season to determine the most explosive and effective players, the names that would feature unanimously would be Iain Hume, John Stiven Mendoza and Marcelinho.
Marcelo Pereira or Marcelinho, as he is fondly known, has been the pace-setter in the league this season, dominating and troubling every side with consummate ease with his wizardry and close control of the ball.
The player has spearheaded Delhi Dynamos’ attack brilliantly, scoring nine goals and notching five assists in 13 appearances. The Brazilian adds typical Samba flair to the Gianluca Zambrotta side, and helped them score 27 goals in 14 games.
Marcelinho has formed a brilliant understanding with Richard Gadze and Kean Lewis, forming the most prolific partnership in the league.
The forward has hit top form at the business end of the league, scoring a fine hat-trick against the error-prone FC Goa defence. He has completed 262 passes for the Lions, and also taken 22 shots on target; always keeping the opposition on their heels.
The coach would expect his star performer to better his finishing, killing off any sign of competition from the Kerala Blasters, and help the Dynamos breeze into the finals for the first time in their history.
