The league stage of the inaugural Indian Super League has come to an end and 4 teams have made it through to the next round, unfortunately for Mumbaikars, their beloved Mumbai City FC were unable to make it through to the last 4. Mumbai City FC had a very slim chance going into the last round of fixtures but with Atletico de Kolkata drawing against FC Goa that ended any hopes Mumbai had of qualifying.
Mumbai City were cheered on by the presence of many Bollywood celebrities, especially with the likes of Ranbir Kapoor being present at most of their home games but even with the vociferous crowd behind them they only ended up 7th in the 8 team group stage, which can be considered as a very disappointing return from a side which was expected to do decently in the league. They won only 4 games and lost 6 in the group stage and ended up with a goal difference of -9, the worst in the league.
Here is a season review of the good and the bad from the Mumbai City FC team.
Best players
Subrata Pal: The Indian goalkeeper was probably the best Mumbai City player out on the field; he ended the Indian Super League with 6 clean sheets, the most in the league and also was the second highest in terms of saves in the league with 49 saves. He was also second in the list for most shots on goal faced with 70.
Andre Moritz: The Brazilian who has played for Crystal Palace was one of the better Mumbai players in a disappointing season. The 28 year old played in 9 games in which he scored thrice against rivals FC Pune becoming the first player to score a hat trick in the Indian Super League.
Pavel Cmovs: The young Czech defender was the best of the Mumbai defenders, though they had the likes of Manuel Friedrich in the back to help them out, it was the younger defender who often produced the best display from the back. Mumbai made a wise signing with the Czech although they would have hoped the other defenders could have made a difference for the club.
Players who disappointed
Nicolas Anelka: Nicolas Anelka was touted to be one of the player’s to look out for in the league, with his credentials it was expected that he would be scoring a bucket of goals. He only scored twice in 7 games and looked massively off colour, Anelka did not look anything like the great player he actually is and seemed more interested in going off the field rather than staying on it.
Freddie Ljungberg: Another player expected to do well, Freddie was injured more often and played only 4 games for the Mumbai team. Ljungberg is known for his passing and creativity but that was rarely on display for the Mumbai team who would be very disappointed with the Swedish star, another foreign player who just did not do enough for the club.
Manuel Friedrich: The final foreign player who just didn’t seem up for it. Friedrich blew hot and cold in the league, in some games he was brilliant and looked like a German defender in his prime while in others he was taken apart by players who had never played international football. He looked off pace for quite a few games and should have really been a rock at the back rather than a paper mache figure.
Marquee signing rating: 4/10
Nicolas Anelka was hugely disappointing in the league, everyone expected the former Real Madrid, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion, Juventus, Galatasary and Shanghai striker to do well but he had played for more clubs in the last 2 years than he scored goals for the Mumbai team. Anelka was the incredible sulk and although he did have a couple of bright flashes those were too few for a Mumbai team which was lacking that bite in the attacking third, they only scored 12 goals in 14 games and Anelka must shoulder some of that blame for not producing in the final third.
What went wrong?
Mumbai just did not score enough goals in the games, that is the simplest thing that went wrong for a club which had the likes of Moritz, Anelka, Ljungberg, Ralte and Stohanzl. All the attacking players failed for the Mumbai team where they only scored 12 goals in 14 games, 5 of which came in the drubbing of FC Pune City, which means Mumbai scored 7 goals in 13 games, which is made worse by the fact that they conceded 21 goals in the 14 games, the worst in the league.
However, the defensive lapses can be forgiven since Subrata Pal kept 6 clean sheets, had Mumbai scored in those games or scored a few more goals they certainly would have made it through to the last 4. The attacking players were the most frustrating and disappointing part of the team and that is something which Mumbai City’s coaches should work on for next season.
Areas of improvement
Mumbai’s midfield was the only good thing about them and the goalkeeper but barring that they were poor in attack and defence. As already stated they scored the least amount of goals and conceded the most amount of goals in the league, both areas need more improvement especially they have some really good players who have played for the top clubs in the world.
Overachievers or underachievers?
Mumbai City could be called the biggest underachievers in the league this season, they had some great attacking players and had a defensive unit which was led by one of the best defenders from Germany yet they failed to produce when it mattered on the field.
The fans of the club would have been massively disappointed with the performance of the players at times especially when they were brought in with such big names, the only bright light for the club is that this was just the first season and they will learn from their mistakes but Mumbai really should have done better in the Indian Super League, Peter Reid will have to work really hard to make them do better next season.
Picture courtesy: Indiansuperleague, The Hindu & Zee News