FC Goa will go for nothing less than both the Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 Shield and trophy this season. Last season, they had a whole set of foreigners and coach depart to rival club Mumbai City FC but as Juan Ferrando came at the helm, he retained and in fact enhanced their level. They only fell short in the semi-finals but now that the coach has had a whole year with the team, they will be expected to do two better. Goa start against Mumbai City FC this season and will be looking to exact revenge. They largely have the same squad as last season with a few good additions and one major subtraction of their leading goalscorer last time Igor Angulo.
STRENGTHS
FC Goa have a very strong midfield and their bench strength there is also extremely good. They have Edu Bedia, Alberto Noguera, Brandon Fernandes, Princeton Rebello, Glan Martins and Alexander Romario Jesuraj from last season. On top of these names, they have talented youngsters in Muhammed Nemil, Danstan Fernandes, Nongdamba Naorem and Christy Davis as replacements. The strength in the middle of the pitch puts them in good stead, given they love to play with the ball.
Another strength that the team has is their coach. Ferrando showed last season that he was a tactical manager and knew how to balance the play on the field. In just a few months, he improved the Indian players in the team, taught them to work with pace and systematic pressing. Having spent a lot of more time by now, Ferrando will be looking to unleash his men on the league.
WEAKNESS
FC Goa have a very complete and strong squad this time around with Ferrando at the helm making it even better. If there is one weakness that can be pointed out, it will be their bench strength in the defence. While they have two fantastic foreign centre-backs in Ivan Gonzalez and Dylan Fox, the lack of solid options as replacements in the position may be a bit of a worry for the coach.
ISL 2020-21 PERFORMANCE
Despite a new manager and change in foreign personnel, FC Goa put up exciting performances and fell only in the semi-finals against Mumbai City FC. Some good wins but many dodgy draws and three losses saw them make the playoffs from the fourth spot. They came up against eventual winners in the semi-finals and dominated them throughout the two legs. However, they failed at the final hurdle losing in the penalties to end their season.
Position: 4th
Wins: 7
Draws: 10
Losses: 3
Points: 31
MOST NOTABLE NEW SIGNINGS
Airam Cabrera: FC Goa have signed Airam after letting go of Angulo, who scored 14 goals and won the Golden Boot. Towards the end of the season, one could see the coach benching Angulo and playing Ortiz in a more advanced role as he wanted his front man to be more flexible. This is where Airam comes in. He is much more of a mover than Angulo and would be expected to link up well with Ortiz and Brandon.
HISTORY IN ISL
FC Goa have been the most consistent team of the league over the last seven years. They have made the playoffs six times out of the seven seasons, something no other team has achieved. FC Goa have won the league stage once (2019-20 season) but have never won the title. The team has lost the final twice (2015 and 2018-19).
CHANCES/PREDICTION
FC Goa are most likely to make the playoffs for one and can go on to win the ISL Shield. They can also reach the final but may not be able to grab the trophy that has eluded them.
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Naveen Kumar, Hrithik Tiwari
Defenders: Leander D’Cunha, Saviour Gama, Sanson Pereira, Dylan Fox, Lalmangaihsanga (Papuia), Seriton Fernandes, Ivan Gonzalez, Aibanbha Dohling, Mohamed Ali
Midfielders: Edu Bedia, Muhammed Nemil, Alberto Noguera, Princeton Rebello, Danstan Fernandes, Alexander Romario Jesuraj, Redeem Tlang, Nongdamba Naorem, Glan Martins, Brandon Fernandes, Makan Winkle Chote, Christy Davis, Flan Gomes
Forwards: Devendra Murgaonkar, Jorge Ortiz, Airam Cabrera
Comments
0 comment