Road to ISL 2018-19 Playoffs - 5 Foreign Players who were a letdown this season

The league stage of the Indian Super League is on the verge of conclusion with all ten sides having taken the field 17 times this season. There have been plenty of surprises throughout the journey and four sides including Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, Mumbai City FC, and NorthEast United FC will be heading into the playoffs round as they battle out for their debut league wins.

Club invest huge sums of money on the players, and while some players have been involved to help their side reach heights, others have struggled to stamp their authority in the league and the whole team has failed collectively.

Due to underperformance and poor results, FC Pune City and Kerala Blasters FC have sacked their coaches.

There has been plenty of hits and flops throughout this season. In this article, we shall look at five foreigners who have failed to produce the expected output this campaign.

#5 Andrija Kaludjerovic

Having made his name at Red Star Belgrade and Racing Santander, many good things were expected on the pitch from Andrija Kaludjerovic. But, his form was never satisfying for Josep Gombau, who decided to let the Serb leave after the completion of the first part of the season.

The Serb took the field 12 times for the club and was able to find the back of the net only once. Despite the supply from attacking midfielders Rene Mehelic, Lallianzuala Chhangte and Nandhakumar Sekar, Kaludjerovic was not able to benefit and struggled to find his feet.

Tactics tweak in the second half of the season saw the Dynamos getting totally rejuvenated and pick up good results and sit 8th in the league table. Gombau decided to put his trust on the young striker Daniel Lalhlimpuia and the Indian International was able to bag four goals during this period which is a decent record, to say the least.

#4 Emiliano Alfaro

Uruguayan Emiliano Alfaro was one of the best players in the Indian Super League last season as he scored 10 times for FC Pune, but he did no favour to himself this campaign. Pune City were off to a very poor start, winning just two from six games under the management of Miguel Angel Portugal and Pradyum Reddy.

The striker scored only one goal during this period and assisted only once which is far below his normal standards. His head was turned once ATK made a loan offer which saw him move to the two-time champions as a replacement for the injured Kalu Uche.

Upon his move to the white and red, Alfaro himself suffered an Achilles injury which kept him out for the rest of the season. It has been a torrid time for the striker who had the trust of Steve Coppell as the manager was desperate to find a clinical striker to revive their season.

#3 Carlos Salom

Chennaiyin FC had high hopes from the Argentine International Carlos Salom, but he was a disappointment. The striker was fitting John Gregory's system, but his ability to hit the ground running in the final third was substandard.

When Jeje Lalpekhlua was struggling to break the deadlock, the 31-year-old was installed in the front line, but he was not able to help the defending champions either. Chennaiyin have been a collective failure throughout the season and Salom might argue about the lack of support and supply up front. But, the striker could not capitalize by having plenty of chances to find the back of the net.

He made 11 appearances for the club and scored just once, against ATK away from home, in a 2-1 defeat. For whatever reasons, Chennaiyin's number 8 did not feature during the second part of the season and an official announcement has not been made about him yet.

#2 Everton Santos

Yet another ATK player features in this list. The club spent hefty sums on signings after a disappointing campaign last term, but the players have not been able to replicate their potential on the pitch.

Everton Santos, who was so crucial to Mumbai City FC's set up last season, when he scored seven and assisted another six, would've expected to replicate that form at ATK, but that hasn't materialised.

It is fair to say that the philosophy changes from one manager to another and that was the case for Everton who got stuck in the turmoil. With just one match to go in this season, the Brazilian is yet to find the back of the net with ATK this campaign.

It has been that kind of disappointing campaign for the striker who has struggled to get adjusted to the defensive philosophy of Steve Coppell.

When Kalu Uche was injured, the manager was quick to reassess his options and buy Emiliano Alfaro when he had Everton at the disposal already. He will go down as one of the biggest flops this campaign.

#1 Nemanja Lakic-Pesic

The decision to retain Nemanja Lakic-Pesic for this campaign has not worked out for Kerala Blasters who have looked in unconventional form from the start of the season. The Serbian was the mainstay of the defence, but he did not perform to his best as the yellows shipped goals for fun.

The defender made 14 appearances this campaign and did not look assured throughout the campaign. Since Anas Edathodika was injured for most parts of the first half of the season, Lakic-Peric was trusted. The Blasters defence leaked 25 goals from 14 games this campaign and conceded 6 in three games without him.

It is fair to say that Kerala Blasters defence never looked organized throughout the season and the faith of David James and Nelo Vingada on Lakic-Pesic never paid off. Standing at 6'2, he was supposed to be a threat from set-pieces, but the Serbian did not score this campaign. He will go down as one of the biggest flops in the Indian Super League history.

Edited by Aaditya Narayan