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With the Indian Super League (ISL) reaching the play-off stages, four teams will now battle it out for a place in the title clash next month. Last year’s runners up Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, Mumbai City FC and North East United FC have qualified for the semi-finals this season.
There have been some phenomenal performances by the Indian players, with Ashique Kuruniyan, Anirudh Thapa and Rowlin Borges hogging the limelight. Sunil Chhetri, Udanta Singh and Subhashish Bose were a few others who managed to make a mark as usual.
Lastly, there have been a few, who were expected to deliver but failed to do so when their teams needed their services the most. Let us have a look at five Indian players who have disappointed this season:
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#5 Jeje Lalpekhlua (Chennayin FC)
The ‘Mizo Sniper’ has been an integral member of the squad and helped Chennaiyin FC win two elusive titles in a span of four years, but he failed to fire in the ongoing season, scoring a single goal so far.
This was probably the worst season for the team, having scripted just two wins in 17 matches till now. The ‘Marina Machans’ are set to finish the league as the bottom-placed team, which sums up the season. With a single goal and no assists to his name, Jeje has been ineffective this season which took out the sting from Chennayin FC’s attacking line.
The star striker scored a sensational goal against Thailand in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, which forced the then coach Stephen Constantine to give him extra minutes in the following game, but he disappointed, just like he did in the entire ISL season. Hopefully, he will come back stronger next time!
Chennaiyin are set to compete in the AFC Cup as well. They make the group stages after a playoff tie with Colombo FC in all probability.
#4 Anas Edathodika (Kerala Blasters FC)
The seasoned campaigner was roped in by Kerala Blasters FC prior to the season from Jamshedpur FC, to strengthen the defence with Sandesh Jhinghan by his side, but he did not prove his worth. Although he played only 7 matches this season, it was enough to make out that he was having a tough time.
After a decent outing in India’s opening game against Thailand in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, he was out of action in the last game after he injured himself. Back in the domestic circuit, he was of no help at the heart of Kerala Blasters FC’s defence.
For the records, Kerala Blasters FC conceded 28 goals this season, now placed at the ninth position in the points table with a game left. The highest paid Indian defender in the league has hardly been able to resist the flow of goals from its opponents, thus making him a flop show in this edition.
#3 Karanjit Singh (Chennayin FC)
The veteran goalkeeper is an automatic choice under the sticks for any team, but sooner or later it might be curtains drawn to his career. Having played a total of 14 matches this season, the Punjab-based footballer just managed to keep two clean sheets for the ‘Marina Machans.’
Although he started his senior career back in 2004 for JCT, he never tasted success until 2011, when he won the coveted I-League trophy for Salgaocar FC. He aided his current team Chennaiyin to two ISL titles in 2015 and 2017-18. But, he could not carry on the momentum in the 2018-19 season.
Going by the statistics, Karanjit has made just 31 saves and conceded 26 goals, which is almost more or less the twice what the team scored. On the other hand, Bengaluru FC’s custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has made the most with 55, which shows the difference clearly. The average goals conceded by the goalkeeper is 1.86. Clearly, this was not his year!
#2 Balwant Singh (ATK)
It seemed that Balwant Singh left his scoring boots in the locker room for the entire tournament. Although he was often used by Steve Coppell in a more responsible role, as a winger, he hardly provided assists to the centre forwards. Much was expected from the old warhorse, but he fell short.
Having just a single goal to his name, Balwant Singh was a disappointment for ATK. It should also be noted that he was not playing in his regular position, maybe he is ill at ease, but that doesn’t rule out the fact that he underperformed this season.
The highest paid Indian player of ATK has enjoyed a trophy-laden career in the domestic circuit. During his Chennayin FC days, he was part their ISL winning squad in 2015, while he was influential in winning two I-League titles, with Salgaocar and Mohun Bagan and a couple of Federation Cup titles as well.
#1 CK Vineeth (Kerala Blasters FC)
Known for his constructive wing play, CK Vineeth had been a vital cog in Bengaluru FC’s I-League and Federation Cup wins when the team was not part of the Indian Super League. Following which, he shifted his loyalty to his native club last year. Apart from a couple of goals for Kerala Blasters FC earlier this season, he was loaned to Chennayin FC in the winter transfer window.
Vineeth managed to net just twice for Kerala Blasters FC this season and once for his current club Chennaiyin FC. Both the teams have fared disastrously in the Indian Super League and they are incidentally the two bottom-placed sides in the league.
The footballer from Kerala Blasters FC scored vital goals for his team in the past, especially during the 2016 season where they lost in the finals to Atletico de Kolkata in a shoot-out. It will be interesting to see which side he plays for next season.
