ISL 2018-19: 3 Managers who need to get their act together

The Indian Super League season 5 has well and truly started. With four points apiece, five teams are sitting at the top of the table, separated by goal difference.

In the previous four seasons, only two teams have lifted the trophy, ATK and Chennaiyin FC. This time, there is hope that a new one will conquer.

Though nothing much can be said after just two matchdays (except Delhi Dynamos and FC Pune City who have played one match each), but considering FC Goa’s form, they are going to be a team that one should watch out for.

Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC have some talented youngsters in their ranks and will not be far behind. Kerala Blasters had a chance to claim the full points until the last minute goal from Mumbai City FC player Pranjal Bhumij.

However, there are a few teams like ATK, Chennaiyin FC and Mumbai, who need to go back to the drawing board. ATK and Chennaiyin have failed to draw points this season for their awful performances.

Chennaiyin at least played well in their first match against Bengaluru FC. But ATK have failed to inspire in both their matches. They conceded a goal in the dying moments against NorthEast United. Considering their terrible show last season, something magical needs to be done.

The following are the three coaches who need to get their act together:

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#1 Steve Coppell (ATK)

British coach Steve Coppell has a long history with ISL. He is one of the most successful coaches in the tournament’s history. In his first stint with ISL, he led Kerala Blasters all the way to the final, which his team have lost on tie-breakers. In the previous edition, he guided ISL debutants Jamshedpur FC to the fifth position.

Watching his expertise, ATK management hired him at the start of the season. He not only failed to deliver results after two matches, but questions are also being raised with his tactics.

Though he didn’t have any say on the player recruitment, but the kind of team he has, one could easily expect a much better performance.

ATK signed Manuel Lanzarote to solve their goal-scoring problem. Lanzarote is not a striker and likes to play as an attacking midfielder who could feed balls to the forwards. That was the reason for his success with FC Goa.

But Coppell is playing him as a lone striker. Going by the previous two matches, it was clearly seen Lanzarote has failed to adapt his new role. Coppell should now get him back in his usual position and bring in Kalu Uche as the striker.

In fact, Uche hasn’t found a place in the starting line-up in both the matches, which is another mistake from Coppell. Given his goal-scoring ability, Uche deserves more and benching him will only hurt ATK’s fortune.

#2 Jorge Costa

Mumbai City FC's manager Jorge Costa [Image: ISL]

Jorge Costa is not a known face in the ISL. This is his first stint in India as a coach and he needs more time to adapt to the league. But he is surely a tactical coach and knows very well how to win a game.

It is the players who let him down. Apart from Lucian Goian, other Mumbai City FC players have not performed as per their potential. Despite going down to Jamshedpur in their first match, Mumbai played better football. They have in fact scored twice, only to be denied by the off-side rule. Their midfield looked strong.

But in the next game, all hell broke loose. The same players performed poorly. Pranjal Bhumij scored a late equaliser against Kerala Blasters to bring home at least a point for his team.

Mumbai defenders have performed well, but questions remain over their midfielders’ poor outing. Modou Sougou has disappointed while Paulo Machado didn’t look in his usual shape. The only exception was Raynier Fernandes, who controlled the ball easily and made life tough for his opponents. Costa should introduce Matias Mirabaje in starting line-up to create more danger in the opponent’s half. With his experience, Mirabaje can be useful in tough conditions.

Also, he should tell Rafael Bastos to take more responsibility and not squander chances in front of the goal. He should give Pranjal more game time.

#3 John Gregory

Chennaiyin FC's manager John Gregory [Image: ISL]

Chennaiyin FC coach John Gregory is perhaps experiencing the toughest of times. The same team which won the ISL previous season has failed miserably in their first two matches this season.

Chennaiyin’s defence has been awful, to say the least. It’s true that they played good football and were unlucky to finish on the losing side against Bengaluru. But the Goa game opened a can of worms. Their defence looked vulnerable. Captain Mailson Alves, who was the hero in last season’s final, looked like a fish out of the water. He had no communication with left-back Inigo Calderon, which resulted in two goals. In addition, they didn’t mark Ferran Corominas, who scored the second goal.

Gregory needs to ask his players to close the gaps in defence before they host NorthEast United FC. His questionable strategy also hurt Chennaiyin much. During Bengaluru game, Gregory took off Isaac Vanmalsawma and introduced Anirudh Thapa. Isaac was ruling the midfield then, while Anirudh couldn’t cope with the pressure and Bengaluru got back into the game.

In upfront, Jeje Lalpekhlua’s off form is a concern for Gregory. Hopefully, a good match against China with the national team will get his confidence back.