Indian Super League's 'Marquee' Blunder?
Indian Super League has always relied on the starpower of the marquee players to garner attention. But when it comes to actual game on the field, the yesteryear stars have hardly been inspiring.
A conglomeration of three FIFA World Cup winning footballers, two UEFA Champions League winners and three Euro finalists can most certainly be trusted upon to weave magic on the field, but not quite in the 2015 Indian Super League. (ISL Sides Give National team Cold Shoulder)
Together the eight 'marquee' players of the ISL franchises is a star-studded line-up, who have been projected by the tournament organisers as the deciding factor that will change the face of Indian football. The reality is, however, vastly different. (Roberto Carlos: Didn't Like The way Stephen Constantine Talked to me)
Considering the current stature of Indian football, with the national team ranked 167th among 209 nations, the ISL is no doubt a great opportunity for the young players to brush shoulders with the likes of Roberto Carlos, Nicolas Anelka, Helder Postiga and Adrian Mutu. But a look at these stars' statistics after the first round of matches shows that they have left their best days far behind. (Roberto Carlos Plays Down Player Release Controversy)
Of the eight franchises, three teams -- Atletico de Kolkata, Kerala Blasters FC and NorthEast United FC -- will not be able to avail the services of their marquee players for the first few round of matches due to injury.
Mumbai City FC, FC Pune City and Delhi Dynamos' marquees are only fit enough to be used as substitutes. Only Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa have given their marquee players starts in the opening round of matches, if Atletico's injured Helder Postiga is counted out. So early in the tournament, if this is the condition of the players who are supposed to 'lift' Indian football, then the future doesn't look good.
Atletico de Kolkata's Portuguese Helder Postiga, the youngest marquee player at 33, scored two goals in the opening match against Chennaiyin FC. But he suffered a hamstring pull and is reportedly out for four to six weeks. Kerala Blasters' Carlos Marchena, who was part of Spanish 2010 World Cup winning team, is also out of his team's first five matches due to a back injury suffered during a training session. Both players have gone back to their respective countries for treatment.
Another marquee player Portuguese Simao Sabrosa, part of Euro 2004 runners-up team, also has a leg injury and will miss the first two matches.
Mumbai City FC marquee player-cum-manager Nicolas Anelka, Pune City FC's Adrian Mutu, Delhi Dynamos' Roberto Carlos have all played as substitutes. Carlos, who came back from retirement to play in the ISL, admitted that he was not in a position to play for full 90 minutes.
"To be honest, I am not in a position to play for the full 90 minutes. I want to give chance to the younger players. Before the season I trained a lot but did not play in any competitive match. It will take time," Carlos said ahead of his team's match against Chennaiyin FC.
All the teams underwent proper pre-season training before the second season of the ISL, but still the poor fitness level of the top players raises quite a few questions.
Firstly, is reputation the only factor in recruiting a marquee player? None of the marquee players featured regularly in top flight football, last season, and still here they are, being celebrated as the messiah of Indian football revolution.
Secondly, if the ISL is that great a success, why most of the teams haven't been able to retain their marquee players? Only Elano and Anelka are here for the second season, while the rest of franchises have opted for new marquee players.
The organisers may term it the teams' strategy to improve their quality, but in reality the case has been quite different after the first round of matches.