Mumbai’s double whammy and masterstrokes from an Indian coach - the 5 big ISL 2020-21 takeaways

The curtains fell on the seventh Indian Super League on Saturday as Mumbai City FC clinched their maiden title with a 2-1 win over ATK Mohun Bagan at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa.

Despite the challenges and the uncertainties that surround the league due to the COVID pandemic, ISL 2020-21 put up a fine show with 11 teams fighting it out for top honours in Goa.

We look at some of the key takeaways from a season.

City Football Group hits the ground running 

ISL 2020-21 was the first season that saw the City Football Group, the footballing conglomerate that owns Premier League giants Manchester City, make a foray into Indian football.

With a majority share in Mumbai City FC, the group owned by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, called the shots this season and put together an enviable side. 

Head coach Sergio Lobera, a man who had proved his credentials with FC Goa in the past, was the first one to be roped in, with several top talents in the league following suit. 

They also signed Adam Le Fondre, an English striker who enjoyed a quality time in the A-League. The 34-year-old did well to score 11 goals this season. 

Though there were a few hiccups, nothing derailed Mumbai City FC’s charge as the Islander not only clinched the ISL League Winners Shield — awarded to the league topper — but also went on to pocket the title.

Khalid Jamil lays down the marker

A criticism that ISL has often received ever since its inception is its attitude towards Indian coaches. No team in the league has ever had an Indian as its head coach.

Though the quality of coaches in India has been doubted in the past, Khalid Jamil answered those with a stellar show with NorthEast United FC this season.

Thrown into the deep end in January, following the departure of their head coach Gerard Nus, the Khalid Jamil dug deep into his knowledge of the game to galvanise NEUFC to a semi-final finish. It was unthinkable when he took over a beleaguered North-East United FC.

Contrasting starts for Kolkata clubs

The seventh edition of the ISL also saw two Indian football giants, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, make their debut in the cash-rich league. 

While the Mariners joined forces with a champion team like ATK and expectedly made the ISL final, East Bengal ran hot and cold and fizzled out in the business end.

With their ISL participation confirmed only closer to the start of the season, high profile coach Robbie Fowler found it hard to put together a quality team and had to rely on somewhat ‘second string’ players in Indian football.

A lot was expected from East Bengal’s foreign signings. But the likes of Matti Steinmann, Anthony Pilkington and Danny Fox failed to live up to the expectations as East Bengal got off to a poor start with their first win coming only in the eighth game.

Though Bright Enobakhare, who joined the team in the January transfer window, gave the team a much-needed boost, it was too little too late by then.

Time to re-build for Bengaluru FC

ISL 2020-21 also saw Bengaluru FC, one of the most successful teams in recent times, go through a rough phase.

While the Blues missed out on making the ISL playoffs for the first time since making their debut in 2017-18, it was also a year that saw them struggle to stitch together a string of positive results.

Head coach Carles Caudrat was shown the door midway through the season, a first in the club’s history, while their ever-reliable bunch of senior pros failed to turn up on many occasions. Sunil Chhetri ended up scoring eight goals, the most by an Indian this season. But the Indian talisman was often caught wanting in crucial phases.

With an ageing squad at his disposal, it remains to be seen how their new head coach Marco Pezzaiouli goes about rebuilding the team.

Youngsters shine in ISL

Like in the past, the seventh edition of the Indian Super League also saw a number of young Indian football players make the most of the opportunities to stake a claim for themselves.

While champions Mumbai City FC had Bipin Singh, Amey Ranawade and Vignesh Dakshinamurthy who came to the fore and became an integral part of the Sergio Lobera-coached side, one team that led this revolution was Hyderabad FC.

With no recognised face in the side, not much was expected of Hyderabad FC this season. But under coach Manuel Márquez, the Nizams put up a fine challenge, only to lose out on a place in the playoffs late in the season.

Leading their charge were the likes of Mohammad Yasir, Liston Colaco, Hitesh Sharma and Ashish Rai. And with the experience of Aridane Santana upfront, Hyderabad FC put up a quality show in ISL 2020-21.