ISL: Teams will take time to hit full throttle

After the first few of matches of the 2020-21 Indian Super League, the aftereffects of an improper pre-season is evident in how the teams have gone about their business on the field. 

After several months without football and on-field training due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown, the ISL clubs set up camp in Goa to train a month before the season opener on November 20. 

While domestic travel wasn’t much of an issue, getting the foreigners to Goa proved to be a struggle due to visa delays and whatnot. The foreign players came in batches, sorted by country – some countries approved visas earlier than others and that meant none of the head coaches was able to train with a full-strength squad for at least a month. 

Not going through a proper pre-season can be detrimental’s to a team’s progress. 

This year, however, neither club nor the league can be blamed for this mess. It is what it is – due to the pandemic – and football fans are just glad to have football back. But they also need to keep in mind that their favourite teams may need a little bit of time before they showcase their full potential. 

None of the teams who took the field so far have looked ready for action. They all – especially the foreigners – look at least a few weeks short of being fully ready for a whole season. 

Before the season opener, Kerala Blasters Kibu Vicuna said, “It is true that pre-season is short. In a new team, you like to train more. You have players who ended quarantine three days ago. Every team has its own problems. No complaints and excuses. We are happy to start the league. 

“The foreign players came later due to visa issues and they need more time. The whole team needs more time, not only physically but also tactically. We are going to be better next month than today, I am sure about that.”

While Kerala Blasters struggled to convert possession into clear-cut chances and struggled in the attacking third in the opening game, the matches since then have proved that it is going to be a common occurrence to have teams lacking the kind of chemistry that fluid football demands. 

FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando has also been vocal about the issues teams will have to deal with due to the kind of pre-season they have all gone through. “Everybody knows that the pre-season was very short and the problem for us and other teams is that all the players were out of action for seven months. I feel that all the teams are not ready for 90 minutes.

“It’s time to pay attention to the mentality of the players and it’s very important to take care of injuries. In these situations, we need to forget the stress and to improve the team game-by-game,” he added.

However, the decision by the league to allow five substitutions this season is a welcome tweak and will help coaches manage the situation better. 

It would be unfair to expect all players – especially foreigners who came late – to fire on all cylinders right from the start of the season. They will need some to settle into the coach’s tactics – especially if the head coach is also a new arrival at the club and he wants to play possession-based football.

There are no shortcuts available for match fitness and tactical training and they need to be perfected game by game. The group that gets it right first may get an early advantage this season.