I-league 2017: Bengaluru FC - the midfield conundrum
Bengaluru FC, the toast of the town and the nation’s new darlings when it comes to football, kicked off the current season in style, sweeping aside Shillong Lajong FC 3-0 in their opening I-league encounter at the Kanteerava stadium.
They followed that up with two more impressive home wins against Chennai City and Mumbai FC, conceding none in the process. To quote the famous West Block Blues, the fortress was impregnable once again and all was well and normal.
The defending champions have since been in a bit of trouble, though. A thrilling and feisty encounter at the Barasat stadium saw hosts East Bengal trump the Blues 2-1. If that was a setback, what followed was a shock – defeat at the hand of Churchill Brothers – again, on the road.
The AFC Cup finalists then journeyed to Jordan to play Al-Wehdat in their preliminary AFC Champions League qualifier but the visit ended in heartbreak following BFC’s 1-2 loss to the home team.
Their return to league fixtures has not been pleasant; the Blues went away to Pune but could only snatch a point after DSK Shivajians failed to hold on to a 2-0 lead.
While the recent run has been slightly concerning, no alarm bells are ringing yet; Bengaluru FC have enough ammunition and goodwill in credit amongst the fan base and have certainly earned some leeway.
However, there are raised eyebrows and whispers, debates and discussions trying to analyse the reasons for the slump in form and results.
Flying start but shortcomings were obvious
Three wins from the first three games and going top of the table – this is exactly what Bengaluru FC managed at the beginning of the league campaign and anyone would have forgiven them some pride and extra confidence.
However, manager Albert Roca is not new to the business and he voiced his thoughts clearly, ahead of the fixture against Mumbai FC, which Bengaluru went on to win 3-0 courtesy of a CK Vineeth hattrick.
“I am quite happy. Some new players have joined the squad, it is not easy for them to understand the philosophy from the first week. [....] We are always under construction, and always adjusting things. It’s my job to prepare the players for games, we have two wins, and the competition won’t wait for us. We need to keep learning and keep improving, and tomorrow it will be important for us to get three points.”
There is a reason why the BFC coach was intent on staying cautiously grounded; he knows the strengths and the weaknesses of his side the best.
The results may have been perfect but with all due respect to Shillong Lajong and Chennai City, both sides did not have enough fuel in the tank to trouble Bengaluru much. It may, therefore, be argued that their first serious challengers were Mumbai, who were also comprehensively beaten.
However, what many overlooked is the reason for this third win – CK Vineeth was on fire that evening and in registering the first ever hattrick by a BFC player, he had taken the wind out of Mumbai’s sails.
That does not change the fact that Bengaluru are overly dependent on the Kerala striker for goals; captain Sunil Chhetri’s influence from the left wing is diminishing his goal-scoring potency while Eugeneson Lyngdoh is not much of a threat from the flanks or as a number 10.
With both full-backs making attacking runs, the central defence was stretched and Cameron Watson had to slot in as an auxiliary defender. None of the three appeared comfortable enough in dealing with aerial balls or speedy runs. It does not help Roca’s cause that two key men in Sandesh Jhingan and Salim Ranjan are out injured, along with Rino Anto - one of the star campaigners during the AFC cup run-in.