Indian Super League marquee ratings

Mehr Shadaab 01:17 16/12/2015
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  • The new signings of the Indian Super League line-up in Mumbai in September.

    When the owners of the eight Indian Super League franchises posed along with their marquee players on the eve of the second season, they seemed happy with their buys. They were, in their opinion, smarter and more judicious in getting a big name, signing relatively ‘younger’ players who could play an important role on the field while also drawing fans to the stadiums. As it turned out, the icon players successfully managed to generate interest away from the pitch. On it, however, they came a cropper. 

    They proved to be unfit and ineffective, most of them at least. Helder Postiga injured himself in the first match; Roberto Carlos took the field just thrice; Carlos Marchena of Kerala Blasters had to leave mid-way through due to ‘personal reasons’ after just one appearance, North East United’s Simao Sabrosa could not play any major part in the first half of the season owing to an injury. And neither Nicolas Anelka nor Adrian Mutu looked in shape to play the full 90 minutes, although the Romanian did redeem himself.

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    So who was the best buy this season? Ironically, it wasn’t a player who was named as a marquee. As the second season enters its business end, Sport360 takes a look at how the marquee players have fared and whether the franchises were indeed smart enough in their purchases for the campaign. 

    Helder Postiga (Atletico Kolkata)

    Appearances: 1; Goals: 2; Assists: 0

    Rating: 1/10

    After 70 minutes of the opening match of the season, the football crazy city in the east of India had a new hero. Postiga, a three-time World Cupper for Portugal, scored twice and set-up the third to help defending champions Atletico Kolkata, partly-owned by Atletico Madrid, record a 3-2 away win over fellow-contenders Chennaiyin FC. But Postiga flattered only to deceive.

    He picked up a ligament injury during the match and could not recover. He flew back to Spain for treatment but did not return until the reverse leg of the group stages began. Even then, he was not fit to play for the team coached by Antonio Habas. The 33-year-old was ruled out for the rest of the season in the last week of November after he could not regain full fitness.

    Elano (Chennaiyin FC)

    8/10

    Appearances: 13; Goals: 4; Assists: 4

    The Brazilian returned to India on the back of a highly-successful last season, where he stood out among the marquee players. He was consistent and lifted the team during moments of distress, showing immaculate leadership qualities. There were doubts if he could replicate his performances this year as well. But Elano put those concerns to rest by once again producing some match-winning displays.

    The former Manchester City midfielder is Chennaiyin’s key source of creativity. He may not be the fastest in a team that boasts some really speedy players, but Elano has been intelligent. He has controlled the pace of the game, distributing the ball well and providing direction on the field to the young side, helping Marco Materazzi execute his plans. 

    Roberto Carlos (Delhi Dynamos)

    Appearances: 3; Goals: 0; Assists: 0

    Rating: 7/10 (primarily for his role as manager) 

    It isn’t known why exactly Delhi named 42-year-old Carlos, who had officially retired three years ago, as their marquee player. The Brazilian was unfit and is not even close to being at his best. He was already their manager, so if the idea was to sell tickets using his name, they could have done that anyway, without naming him as a player. Even Carlos, for a change, looked disinterested. The three times he did play, he hardly had any impact on proceedings. After just 20 minutes in his first appearance, Carlos was panting.

    As the team settled down, Carlos withdrew himself from the playing role, instead focusing only on managing the team, which he did with considerable success. He was passionate, emotive and vocal in the dugout, making smart team selections and balancing his squad well. With a touch of humour and years of experience, he turned last season’s dullest side into one of the most entertaining teams this year.

    Nicolas Anelka (Mumbai City)

    Appearances: 6; Goals: 0; Assists: 0

    Rating: 1/10

    He came with a lot of promise but Anelka’s tenure turned out to be exactly what many had expected – volatile and disappointing. The Frenchman found himself fighting his own dressing room since the first match day and it spiraled out of control by the time the league stage concluded. Mumbai’s key player Andre Moritz and assistant coach Oscar Bruzon left the club mid-way through the season after falling out with Anelka while striker Sunil Chhetri, also India’s captain, looked disinterested and disillusioned after being publicly criticised by his coach. At one stage, Mumbai looked good to make the semi-finals but the team imploded towards the business end and Anelka did not seem to be in control of the side. As a marquee player, too, Anelka did precious little to inspire his teammates. His declaration that he won’t be returning next season because the team lacked fighters ultimately showed the distrust between him and the rest of the players.  

    Adrian Mutu (Pune City)

    Appearances: 10; Goals: 4; Assists: 0

    Rating: 5

    Pune City’s physio Matt Radcliffe, who was with Manchester United last season in the Premier League, tried to be soft on the Romanian while describing his condition at the start of the campaign. Mutu, after all, hadn’t played for a year. In his brief summation, Radcliffe said Mutu needed to ‘lose some pounds and get in shape’. In other words, he was massively overweight. Perhaps that’s the reason he did not start in the initial few matches of the tournament.

    But when he eventually did, Mutu showed glimpses of his old self. He scored important goals for Pune, including a stunning solo effort against Atletico Kolkata. But his performances were erratic and inconsistent. Eventually, he could not use his experience to inspire the young Pune team, who failed to qualify for the semi-finals once again. 

    Carlos Marchena (Kerala Blasters)

    Appearances: 1; Goals: 0; Assists: 0

    Rating: 0/10

    A member of Spain’s 2010 World Cup winning squad, Marchena was expected to shore up a Kerala defence that looked fragile last season. Their coach, Englishman Peter Taylor, built the team around Marchena but the Spaniard remained unavailable for a major part of the season. He was injured and undergoing treatment back home.

    When he eventually got match-fit, he made his debut in a 1-0 home loss to Delhi Dynamos. But soon after that match, he decided to leave his team citing personal reasons. His decision came soon after the club management sacked Taylor as the manager. 

    Simao Sabrosa (North East United)

    Appearances: 10; Goals: 3; Assists: 2

    Rating: 5/10

    Like Marchena, Simao too missed the opening rounds of the season owing to injury. During this period, a young North East side struggled to get going, lacking quality in the attacking third. North East is a team largely made up of inexperienced players from that region of India. Their other foreign recruits too were not as efficient as coach Cesar Farias would have hoped.

    That changed instantly the moment Simao returned from injury. The Portuguese winger at times played in a central role for North East, bringing balance and purpose to their attacks. His passing was decent, completing 203 out of 273 attempted, and he also scored a couple of very good goals, including a beautifully taken free-kick. He, however, lacked fitness and eventually, could not inspire the team enough to qualify for the last four.

    Lucio (FC Goa)

    Appearances: 12; Goals: 0; Assists: 1

    Rating: 7/10

    By his own admission, Lucio was eager to work under Zico, who persuaded him to sign for FC Goa, thus replacing Frenchman Robert Pires as the team’s new marquee player. And the Brazilian has had a profound impact on the team. He has brought stability and discipline to the defence, and the team in general, which was missing last season. His work-rate has been tremendous, making some crucial interceptions and also helping the team maintain a solid defensive record. Lucio has made 28 interceptions this season, more than any other player, showing his ability to read the game and also the hunger to win the ball back. He has been Zico’s trusted lieutenant this season, the rock in Goa’s defence.

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