ATK 1-0 Bengaluru FC: 3 reasons why the defending champions lost | ISL 2019-20

#1 Bengaluru fail to maximize their possession

Sunil Chhetri

Akin to many a time before, Bengaluru dominated the lion’s share of possession in an ISL fixture. The Blues ended with 58% of the ball and completed more than 300 passes. However, rather alarmingly, they failed to create anything of note as the hosts shut them out with ease.

Sunil Chhetri looked a man bereft of any support in the attacking third, meaning that the Indian skipper was left feeding off scraps for a majority of the encounter.

Udanta Singh, meanwhile, was again subdued as his end product went awry. Apart from that aspect though, he also failed to pin Soosairaj back adequately and consequently, capitalize on the latter’s defensive deficiencies.

Augusto, too looked devoid of ideas in a deeper role while Dimas Delgado and Erik Paartalu weren’t allowed to venture into the final third, meaning that their late runs into the box weren’t a luxury on the night.

Similarly, their build-up play also lacked conviction and often looked extremely sluggish, especially when they moved the ball in the middle third. Unsurprisingly, they were unable to drag the ATK defenders enough to create openings for themselves.

Alhough Bengaluru always looked a threat from set-pieces, one just wonders if their apparent insipidness from open play would cause a furrowed brow or two.

To put things into perspective, the defending champions failed to muster a single shot on target throughout the match; a fact that just embodied the shoddy nature of their attacking display.

In 10 games so far, Bengaluru have only made the net ripple 11 times. While they’ve kept things quiet at the back, one reckons they might have to find another offensive gear in the upcoming weeks.

Else, they might find it extremely tough to defend their crown.