ISL 2017: Team of week 7
The Round 7 of the Indian Super League saw Kerala Blasters suffer their first home defeat of the season, while FC Pune City registered their biggest ever victory, with Marcelinho scoring his second hattrick in the ISL.
But who the players that impressed us the most? Let's find out.
GK: Vishal Kaith (FC Pune City)
The AIFF Elite Academy Product continued his fine form in his first-ever participation in the tournament, managing to keep his 3rd clean sheet in just his 5th game in the tournament. He managed a mammoth 5 saves against NorthEast United and was alert to the danger, punching the ball away 4 times. The 21-year-old was equally efficient in the air, grabbing 3 crosses.
RB: Subashish Bose (Bengaluru FC)
The former Mohun Bagan wingback was a dominant figure against the Blasters, helping Bengaluru FC beat Kerala Blasters at home for the first time this season. It was his assist that was slotted home by Miku to register Bengaluru's third goal of the game. He was a constant threat down the wing, creating 3 chances. In the defensive half, Bose managed 7 defensive actions which included 3 clearances, 2 blocks & 2 interceptions.
CB: Mailson Alves (Chennaiyin FC)
The ISL 2015 winner has enjoyed a comeback to his former club and has played every minute of their campaign so far. His disciplined performance helped overcome a spirited Jamshedpur side that was looking for goals. This also meant that the Marina Machans kept their 2nd clean sheet, away from home this season. With his no-nonsense approach, he managed an incredible 8 clearances.
CB: Lucian Goian (Mumbai City FC)
The Mumbai FC stalwart once again proved why he has been given the armband by the coach, Alexandre Guimaraes. He was alert on the rebound to score Mumbai City FC's opener against Delhi Dynamos after Emana's penalty had hit the woodwork. He read the game perfectly managing 3 interceptions and put his body on the line registering 5 tackles & 5 blocks.
LB: Jerry Lalrinzuala (Chennaiyin FC)
The youngest goal scorer in ISL history, Jerry Lalrinzuala has continued his progress under coach John Gregory. He successfully defended the threat possessed on the wing by Jerry Mawhmingthanga & Sameehg Doutie and also helped his side build up from the back, managing 57 passes.
DM: Achille Emana (Mumbai City FC)
The former Cameroon international has been a vital cog in the Mumbai City FC setup this season. He continued his form for the club managing to rack up 2 Assists against the Delhi Dynamos. It was his freekick that was headed in by Everton Santos before managing another assist for Balwant Singh. He was omnipresent, managing to create 4 chances and he further put all his experience in reading the game with 3 interceptions to his name.
DM: Dhanpal Ganesh (Chennaiyin FC)
Dhanpal Ganesh lost his midfielder partner Bikramjit Singh early in the 9th minute due to an injury but it did not prevent him from putting in his regular shift in midfield and helping Chennaiyin keep a clean sheet. He took the physical route more often than not, notching up 7 tackles in the opposition midfield that consisted the likes of Mehtab Hossain & Memo.
RM: Ashique Kuruniyan (FC Pune City)
The FC Pune City academy product suffered a setback earlier this year when an injury cut short his stint in Spain with the Villareal 'C' side. But Ranko Popovic trusted the youngster to come back strong and he did just that, becoming the youngest goalscorer for FC Pune City in the ISL when he scored the opener for the Stallions against the Highlanders in their 5-0 thumping.
AM: Marcelinho (FC Pune City)
The diminutive winger and ISL 2016 golden boot winner once again proved his quality, by scoring a hattrick against NorthEast United, to give FC Pune City their first victory over the Highlanders in their last 4 meetings. With 5 goals, he is their joint top scorer this season with Emiliano Alfaro.
LM: Balwant Singh (Mumbai City FC)
The Hoshiarpur born forward continued his fine form for the Islanders scoring in successive games for the Mumbai based side taking his tally of goals to 5 this season, only Miku(8) and Ferran Corominas(8) have scored more this season, highlighting Balwant's impact. His redemption can be highlighted by the fact that he managed just 1 goal in the opening two seasons in the ISL, but took ISL season 4 by storm, scoring 5 goals.
FW: Miku (Bengaluru FC)
The Venezuelan hitman was a non-existent figure in the Blues' last couple of games, but bounced back in perfect fashion, scoring twice to sink the Yellow Army in front of a full house in Kochi. With this, he joined Coro as the most lethal target men this season with 8 goals to their name.