Mohun Bagan SG parts ways with Juan Ferrando, Jamshedpur appoints Khalid Jamil: ISL Digest
Indian national football team is preparing for its biggest challenge in recent times as Igor Stimac’s side will face Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria in Group B of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
For the continental extravaganza, the 2023-24 Indian Super League season has been put on hold which has allowed the clubs to take a breather and analyse their respective teams and support staff before the 2024 Kalinga Super Cup kicks off in Odisha.
What has unfolded so far?
Kerala Blasters are the league leaders at the halfway stage of the league season with 26 points in 12 matches as they have secured 8 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses so far. Ivan Vukamanovic has given chances to academy players like Sachin Suresh, Vibin Mohanan, Mohammed Aimen, and Mohammed Azhar starting them in various matches.
Goa sit in second place with two matches in hand on the Yellow Tuskers as the Gaurs have collected 24 points in 10 fixtures, winning 7 of those matches. Manolo Marquez has helped the side undergo a smooth transition as Goa is the only remaining unbeaten team in the league so far and the Gaurs are yet to play both of their matches against bottom-placed Hyderabad.
Surprisingly, Odisha is in the third position as Sergio Lobera has put his stamp on the side helping the Juggernauts bag 24 points from 12 matches. Apart from that, the Bhubaneshwar-based club has also made it to the knockout stage of the AFC Cup and is a few steps away from continental glory.
Mumbai City and Mohun Bagan Super Giant are in fourth and fifth positions respectively with 22 and 19 points from 11 and 10 matches as the Mariners succumbed to three consecutive defeats against Mumbai City, Goa, and Kerala Blasters just before the break.
A single point separates NorthEast United, Chennaiyin, East Bengal, and Bengaluru while Jamshedpur and Punjab are still catching up with Hyderabad claiming the last position with 4 draws and 7 defeats in 11 matches.
Managerial Changes
In a surprising turn of events, Mumbai City head coach Des Buckingham was the first to part ways with his club after the season started as Oxford United came calling for the Englishman and was duly replaced by Petr Kratky.
Simon Grayson was the next to fall prey to the revolving doors as Bengaluru decided to part ways with the English head coach on December 9 after a 4-0 defeat to Mumbai City. A former assistant of Carles Cuadrat, Gerard Zaragoza stepped in to fill the void and lead the charge of the Blues for the remainder of the season.
Apart from winning two matches against Hyderabad, Scott Cooper had accumulated 3 draws and 7 defeats in the other ten ISL matches so far and a break in the league allowed the Jamshedpur management to call for a refreshing approach as they appointed Khalid Jamil as the new head coach of the club.
Title challengers Mohun Bagan SG sacked Juan Ferrando after winning the ISL title and the Durand Cup in 2023 apart from leading the Mariners to a great start in the league followed by three consecutive defeats to rival sides. The former Goa head coach had to pay the price for AFC Cup elimination and the slump against top teams. Antonio Lopez Habas will now take charge of the Kolkata giants in the Kalinga Super Cup and the remainder of the ISL season.
Team of the Season So Far
Sachin Suresh, Amey Ranawade, Milos Drinicic, Sandesh Jhingan, Jay Gupta, Vibin Mohanan, Apuia, Noah Sadoui, Sahal Abdul Samad, Roy Krishna, Dimitrios DiamantakosSubstitutes: Arsh Singh, Sandeep Singh, Mehtab Singh, Subhasish Bose, Mohammed Azhar, Phalguni Singh, Adrian Luna, Rafael Crivellaro, Liston Colaco