3 key factors that helped Mumbai City FC reach the 2021 ISL final
After clinching the 2021 ISL League Winners Shield, Mumbai City FC will aim to go the distance and get their hands on the glamorous ISL trophy. The Islanders will lock horns with ATK Mohun Bagan at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao on March 13, in what will be their first-ever ISL final.
Mumbai City FC were dominant throughout the season and never slipped from the top two spots in the ISL points table. Thanks to their consistent form, they were always the favorites to reach the final.
Here we analyze 3 key factors that helped Mumbai City FC reach the summit clash:
#3 An improved squad from last season
Mumbai City FC finished fifth in the ISL points table last season and missed the playoffs berth by three points. Under new coach Sergio Lobera, the team switched from a defensive counter-attacking brand of football to a free-flowing one.
The Islanders replaced all their foreign players with established names. Hugo Boumous, Mourtada Fall, and Ahmed Jahouh had prior experience of playing under Lobera at FC Goa.
Bartholomew Ogbeche scored the most number of goals in the previous ISL season. Adam Le Fondre, who was the A-League's second-highest goalscorer of the 2019-20 season, joined them on loan from Sydney FC. 23-year-old Cy Goddard and Spanish second-tier football veteran Hernan Santana also followed suit.
Mumbai City FC thus had one of the best foreign contingents in the league. So it was no surprise the team reached the final on the back of some impressive performances.
#2 More goals from set-pieces
Sergio Lobera's side has always been guilty of being caught off-guard in dead-ball situations. When in charge of FC Goa, his side lost the 2019 ISL final, courtesy of Rahul Bheke's header from a corner-kick in the 117th minute.
Lobera understood the problem and improved upon it with Mumbai City FC this season. The Islanders have scored 20 of their 37 goals from set-pieces. Opposition teams have found it tough to mark Bartholomew Ogbeche and Mourtada Fall, who are the usual targets of Ahmed Jahouh's deliveries.
Mumbai City FC must have practiced plenty of corner-kicks and free-kicks in the training ground and are reaping the rewards of it.
#1 Indian players have stepped up
While due credit must be given to the foreign players, the Indian players of Mumbai City FC aren't far behind either. Apart from Mandar Rao Dessai and Amey Ranawade, the rest of the Indian contingent was the same as last season. But they thrived under a new style of play.
Bipin Singh remains the only player this season to score a hat-trick and deservedly got a national team call-up. Vignesh Dakshinamurthy has given a tough competition to Mandar Rao Dessai in the left-back position, making 25 interceptions and 11 blocks in 21 matches.
The midfield duo of Raynier Fernandes and Rowlin Borges have displayed excellent ball control skills and committed tactical fouls from time to time to thwart the opposition's efforts.
Amrinder Singh kept 10 clean sheets for Mumbai City FC and made 58 saves in 22 matches. The 27-year-old is making a strong case for himself to replace Gurpreet Singh Sandhu between the sticks in the national team setup.