ISL 2021-22: Bengaluru FC FC SWOT Analysis
Bengaluru FC have been a bit of a shadow of themselves in the past two seasons. They have failed to win a national-level title in consecutive seasons after a strong start in Indian football with I-League, Super Cup and ISL titles on the trot since 2013.
The Blues finished in the lowest position in club history in the previous ISL season and are eyeing a redemption of sorts in the upcoming edition. The JSW-owned franchise have brought in a new head coach in Marco Pezzaiouli with a distinct football philosophy.
On that note, let us take an analytical look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for Bengaluru FC in ISL 2021-22.
Strengths
Bengaluru FC have the perfect mixture of experience and youth to go a long way in the tournament. The massive squad depth owing up to a large pool of talented players followed by a longer pre-season is likely to work wonders for the Blues. While other ISL teams are only in their second month of pre-season, the Blues have been playing non-stop football for four months.
Marco Pezzaiouli has already worked with the team in the AFC Cup 2021. Naushad Moosa has been with the young Indian starlets in the BDFA Super Division and Durand Cup. The continuity factor can be instrumental for the Blues in getting their season up and running earlier than the rest of the ten teams.
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Weaknesses
Bengaluru FC have been the victim of a lack of established strikers up front in the past few seasons. Since the departure of Miku from Bengaluru FC, the Blues have not recovered and and failed to land a top-draw striker to score goals for them.
Despite Chhetri's upfront presence, it is highly unlikely that the sole Indian striker will lead the club to glory in the ISL. The likes of Cleiton Silva and Bidyasagar Singh can score plenty of goals on their days but are not as reliable as someone as seasoned as Miku could be.
Opportunities
The Blues have one of the finest squad depths in the ISL. The extensive investment and exposure provided to the Bengaluru FC Reserves over the years through various tournaments has slowly started to show results.
Bengaluru FC have the strongest second side in the country. Several of them have been promoted to the first team after a very successful Durand Cup 2021 campaign under Naushad Moosa.
The likes of Siva Narayanan, Damaitphang Lyngdoh, Roshan Naorem and Biswa Darjee are a talented group of players. They provide a lot of options to choose from for head coach Marco Pezzaaiuoli.
Damaitphang Lyngdoh is one of several youngsters to make the jump up to the senior team ahead of the 2021-22 Indian Super League season.
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Threats
Teams that like to play at a high-tempo will be significant threats to Bengaluru FC. The likes of FC Goa, Hyderabad FC and Jamshedpur FC can be a problem since they like to take the game to the opposition. Bengaluru FC have been known to play a patient brand of football. They do not fare relatively well against high pressing sides and thus are likely to struggle due to an aging squad core.