Can NorthEast United complete a memorable comeback and make it to the semifinals?

Cesar Farias has masterminded his team's revival and would want to take them further in the ISL

The youngest team of the Indian Super League, NorthEast United are showing some great heart and have picked up their performances in the second half of the season. They now see themselves in the 4th spot, occupying the last semifinal spot but have only one more match to play.

At the beginning of the season, they weren’t having the best of the times and suffered a couple of demoralising losses. They then looked to have turned the corner as they ground out a couple of much-needed wins against much fancied Atletico de Kolkata and Chennaiyin, only to get thrashed by Mumbai City.

The team have recovered very well and have lost only twice in their last 7 matches, after previously having lost 4 of their first 6 matches. Farias’ squad have worked very together and have relied on a balanced squad to slowly improve their performances.

The Venezuelan manager has his side playing a tight game, with great emphasis on keeping a good shape definitely, before trying to hit their opponents on the counter.

Following recent changes made by the manager, the NorthEast team members have shown that they have what it takes to perform consistently and have backed up their manager with some good results.

With their team playing well both defensively and on the counter, it remains to be seen whether they can sustain their run in the final four.

What have NorthEast United done well?

Apart from a couple of matches in which the defence has been bad, NorthEast have in general had a solid defence. They have conceded 21 goals in the tournament in 13 matches and need to improve their coordination in defence ahead of their final game.

With the additions of Bikey and Lopez, Farias is alternating his team very well, keeping a pool of 3 central defenders, the third being Frenchman Cedic Hengbart, who too has been very good in defence.

The presence of a strong midfield duo in Bruno Herrero Arias and Siam Hanghal has been of great aid to the team, as they have both lent solidity and good energy to the team.

With both Hanghal and Arrias in the team, one can definintely hope to see this team doing well and making the semifinals, especially given the fact that they have good attacking players to compliment their strikers.

The addition of Victor Mendy has also helped greatly as the Senegalese international has added some impetus upfront, scoring one goal.

What NorthEast United need to work on

Their biggest issue remains that their strike force hasn’t scored a lot of goals. So far, the team has spread the goals out among all their midfielders so it does not really matter. However, what it also means is that their wins have all been by narrow margins, considering they haven't been very solid defensively

Marquee player Simao Sabrosa, who is now an integral member of the team, has scored four goals so far this season. Boathang Haokip and Seityasen are the only Indians in the team to have scored so far, and one of them came from a free-kick.

Argentine Nicholas Velez is the only play to have scored four goals, but not off penalties or free kicks, while Ghana forward Francis Dadzie has one goal to his name. At this point, close to 50% of the goals the team has scored have come either through penalties or free-kicks. Not to forget that team has missed one penalty against Chennaiyin.

In retrospect, their conversion rate is the biggest problem for the team, something which has followed them all the way from the first season. If they are to have any chance of qualifying for the next round, this is one aspect which they need to really take care of in their final match.

In terms of game play, NorthEast United try to start off smoothly, ensuring that they don’t concede a goal early and that they try and soak up pressue so as to take advantage when the oppoisition is tired.

Apart from their matches against Kerala Blasters FC and against Mumbai City FC, they have never been totally outclassed. What goes against the team is that they don’t convert all their chances and end up paying the price for the same.

Thus, it is clear NorthEast need to really work on their finishing. They cannot always rely on free-kicks and penalties to score and they need to keep in mind their negative goal difference.

Farias was jubilant after beating both Chennaiyin and Kolkata twice and drawing against Delhi, but now he needs to understand that they don’t just have to win, but also win by a good margin.

What’s needed in the last game

Looking into the team tactically, Farias has shifted his gameplay to a particularly defensive one. To compensate for that, he uses two genuine wide players, along with a supporting forward, all 3 playing behind a striker. What initially started because of the injury woes in the team now seems to be the tactical make-up of the team.

The Venezuelan coach has benched Velez and Simao quite a few times and fielded them in the second half. This policy of fielding fresh legs to increase the tempo of the game in the latter half of the game did work for them, but Farias has now started to use Simao from the start itself.

NorthEast United have come back well after a bad start to be on the cusp of a semifinal spot

Another key aspect of the team are its Indian players, all of whom except goalkeeper Rehenesh TP happen to be from the NorthEast. Most of them have played quite well so far, particularly Sanju Pradhan, who as of now has 3 assists to his name. However, Sanju’s inability to get on the score sheet is something to be bothered about.

If the team wants to stay in the top 4, their Indian players have to keep up their level in the last match against FC Pune City, which is a virtual quarterfinal. Robin Gurung and Yumnam have been solid in defence while Rehenesh has been outstanding. Hanghal has been combative in midfield while Seityasen and Sanju have done well on the flanks.

All in all, they might currently sit in the top 4 spots, but as a team, there is a lot that needs to be done correctly, if they wish to reach the semifinals. A little more cutting edge going forward, and a little more attentiveness in defence can go a long way in helping them reach their target.

At this point, with Chennaiyin and Pune both having one extra game and trailing NorthEast by 1 and 2 points respectively, it is clear that NorthEast's semifinal hopes are not in their own hands, and that they need other results to go in their favour. The fact that Chennaiyin and Pune play each other is a good thing, and the team from Guwahati would be hoping that Chennai and Pune play out a draw.

The team has shown that they are equally as comfortable at home as they are away. All that remains for them to do is score more goals, win their last match which they are capable of doing, hope that other results go in their favour and then rise with the power of eight.