ISL Season 5: Formidable Bengaluru aim for title, nothing less
The Blues, who have retained as many as 12 players this season, have brought in five new players, including three foreign recruits.
The Blues, who have retained as many as 12 players this season, have brought in five new players, including three foreign recruits.
The Blues, who have retained as many as 12 players this season, have brought in five new players, including three foreign recruits.
Kochi: Bengaluru FC, who faltered at the final hurdle of the Indian Super League (ISL) last season, will be eager to go the extra mile this time around.
The two-time I-League and Federation Cup winners finished at the top of the league table in their debut season of the glitzy league, but were denied their date with history by a resilient Chennaiyin side at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, their fortress, as the Blues went down 2-3 in the final.
Spaniard Carles Cuadrat, who served as an assistant to Albert Roca for two seasons, is their head coach. An academy graduate at FC Barcelona, the 49-year-old Cuadrat had coaching stints with Galatasaray in Turkey and Saudi Arabia and El Salvador national teams.
The Blues, who have retained as many as 12 players this season, have brought in five new players, including three foreign recruits. They are back home after playing in the AFC Asia Cup and completing their preseason tour of Spain, in which they took on Barcelona’s reserve teams.
Prolific scorers
On paper, the Blues undoubtedly possess the ISL’s most lethal forward line-up with the fabulous duo of Venezuelan international Nicolas 'Miku' and Indian star Sunil Chhetri.
The highly talented Udanta Singh and the young Thongkhosiem Haokip will give the coach too many attacking options to choose form. Bhutanese winger Chencho Gyeltshen, who won high praises for his performance in the last edition of the I-League for champions Minarva Punjab, will add some youthful exuberance to their attack.
Formidable midfield
Spaniard Dimas Delgado and Australian Erik Paartalu, who played a key role in Bengaluru’s progress to the final last year, will continue to dictate the flow of the game in the middle for them.
They have also brought in Spanish winger Xisco Hernandez, who has played for different sides in the La Liga, to add strength to their midfield this season.
Rock-solid defence
The BFC’s backline, which stood tall against some of the top Asian teams, is strong and solid. Though the Blues will sorely miss the services of John Johnson, who moved to ATK after a five-year stint with them, they have signed Spanish centre-back Albert Serran as his replacement.
Serran, who plied his trade in the English Premier League with Swansea City from 2008 to 2011, has the ability to play in the wings or holding positions with equal panache. The return of Malayali defender Rino Anto will also bolster their defence.