TEAM ANALYSIS: Stronger and mature, Mumbai can give a hard time to the best
SPORTING THE WORST goal difference from last season, Mumbai City were prime contenders for the bottom of the table. Their forward line couldn't produce a goal in half the matches. The defence earned only 3 clean sheets, and all three were draws so it didn't help much. They also let in 21 goals, highest in the ISL. And that's after Subrata Pal saved at least a dozen clear-cut goals. They lost 6 matches in the regular season; another ISL record held with fellow Maharashtra franchise Pune City.
In short, almost nothing worked out for Mumbai City. Their marquee player, Arsenal legend Fredrik Ljungberg, made about 4 appearances. Andre Moritz, after one hat-trick, struggled to keep up and never scored again. And he was the highest scorer of the lot. The most effective player perhaps was Nicolas Anelka, who scored two goals, both bagging them wins. But throughout the season, Mumbai City struggled to set themselves into a comfortable rhythm or routine, and it never happened for them. Associated with an important Indian city and a popular Bollywood celebrity, Mumbai City were perhaps the team with the biggest hype in ISL, and their shortcomings on the pitch seemed equally pronounced.
To turn things around for themselves, the team management went to work early this year. They went for a new-look squad, re-built almost from scratch. They retained the few consistent performers they had last season; Nicolas Anelka, Subrata Pal, Lalrindika Ralte, Subhash Singh, Pavel Cmovs and Andre Moritz. They became active in the domestic transfer market and bagged Kingshuk Debnath, a proven talent, on loan from Mohun Bagan. They also signed up Bagan's Haitian star winger Sony Norde who just won the FPAI Foreigner of the Year award for his exploits in his club's I-League winning campaign. They also loaned out East Bengal medio Lalrindika Ralte.
In the Players' Auction they grabbed headlines by managing to sign Indian captain and highest goal scorer of all time, Sunil Chhetri. In the Draft that followed they made some smart calls that attracted two instant trade attempts. But with picks like Brandon Fernandes, Lalchhuan Mawia, Debjit Majumder (I-League keeper of the season) and Ashutosh Mehta, they came out significantly stronger than before.
Nicolas Anelka, whose player status had been bumped up to marquee this year, was also given the manager's mantle in a surprising move, but perhaps not entirely unwise. The French striker was a player-coach for a while before at Shanghai Shenhua, and while he admits he does not particularly enjoy the dual role, having him as the manager does make some sense for Mumbai City. ISL isn't like a traditional football league; its hectic pace and short duration makes it a different beast. Most managers take a while to get the hang of it. Peter Reid struggled with it last year, and hiring another new manager who hasn't seen the tournament up close could lead to more of the same for Mumbai City. Anelka, on the other hand, has lived it from the inside, knows the team, the management, and what to expect.
Their international signings, too, were better thoughout this year. Players like Selim Benachour, Frederic Piquionne, Frantz Bertin, Christian Bustos and Juan Aguilera are not names that blow the minds of the Euro-savvy football fans, but these are talented players with lots of experience, and have been playing regular competitive football throughout 2014-15. The management had learned their lesson: no longer were they bringing stars out of retirement.
The team assembled in Dubai for pre-season and it was clear, from the start, that things were looking up. They played a few friendly matches against local sides, some of which were top-tier clubs like Al-Shabab, and maintained a pefect winning record. They came back and played another friendly, at Cooperage Ground against Air India, and continued their winning form with a 7-0 victory.
These results have boosted the team's confidence by threefolds. Many of their players have found themselves in good touch. Piquionne, Moritz, Sony Norde have slotted in a few goals in the friendlies. Even Anelka helped with a goal against Air India. But the find of the pre-season has been Brandon Fernandes, who found the net against Emirates Club in Dubai as well as Air India back in Mumbai.
There is no doubt that the harsh and dense ISL fixture will put up a tougher challenge for this team than the conveniently arranged pre-season. But the fact that the team is doing well will be a big relief for its management. The squad they have put together is by no means perfect, nor does it have the framework of stability that teams like FC Goa and Atletico de Kolkata operate in. But they have what it takes to shake up the best in ISL on a good day. And in a tournament like ISL, a few good days can change everything. Just look at what ATK did.
