The winner of last season’s Indian Super League (ISL) Cup, Mumbai City FC has been one of the most promising teams in the league’s recent history having won four trophies in the last four seasons. It also came teasingly close to lifting the ISL Shield last season but ultimately fell one point short behind Mohun Bagan Super Giant.
Despite the club losing seasoned manager Des Buckingham mid-season, his replacement from Australia, Petr Kratky did a tremendous job in holding fort and ensuring the Islanders ended the season on a high.
Mumbai City finished last season second with 47 points. The Islanders were incredible during the final stretch of the league, picking 25 points from the last ten games, with eight wins and a draw. However, the sole loss came against MBSG in the last match, which meant they relinquished the Shield to the Mariners.
Although they were one of the stronger sides of the tournament, it is not going to be smooth sailing for the Islanders this time around having lost a number of key first-team players in the transfer window.
Midfield generals Lalengmawia Ralte (Apuia) and Alberto Noguera departed the club to join MBSG and Bengaluru FC, respectively. Even its joint top-scorer with 10 goals, Jorge Pereyra Díaz and backup forward Iker Guarrotxena have left the club. And the biggest blow of them all should be captain Rahul Bheke’s transfer to BFC.
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Mumbai City had the best defensive record last season having conceded just 19 goals in the regular league stage, however with centre-back Bheke’s departure and left-back Akash Mishra’s long-term injury, its backline is spread thin this season with no new significant signings at the back.
Even though Kratky has brought in star players of the likes of Jeremy Manzorro from Jamshedpur FC, Brandon Fernandes from FC Goa and Nikolaos Karelis from Greece, the new signings will need some time to settle in and hit the ground running, hence MCFC’s form in the initial phase of the season will be key to sustaining title aspirations.
Kratky - The charismatic tactician
Kratky continued with Buckingham’s 4-3-3 formation and adopted a similar possession-based approach to his predecessor. They attack in numbers by crowding the opponent’s half and predominantly pushing through the wings. In the final third, MCFC usually moves deep into the flanks and makes cutbacks for the strikers or midfielders to attack inside the box.
Despite being new to the club, Kratky is dearly loved by all the fans and players. Kratky’s passion for the game can be seen both when he is seen fuming on the touchlines when his team concedes or animated when the players score.
“Petr gives us individual attention in training and gives us valuable insights from previous games in training. We do something new every day and we really enjoy his training sessions,” MCFC defender Mehtab Singh told Sporstar in an interaction last season.
Expected finish - 2nd (final)
It is going to be a tough challenge for Mumbai City this time around because it has lost too many important players to other teams. Despite making three excellent signings and bringing in a few youngsters to improve squad depth, it might not be enough considering how other contenders have fared this transfer window.
MCFC couldn’t qualify for the AFC competitions which could be a silver lining since it will be playing fewer games than last season and hence can concentrate on the domestic competitions.
The Islanders are expected to struggle at the start since they play MBSG, Odisha FC, FC Goa and Kerala Blasters in their first five games. Although their defence won’t be as strong as last season, if they manage to outscore their opponents, they can claim a playoff spot.
MCFC has a good record in the knockout rounds so it will back itself to make the final of the ISL Cup once again.
Players to watch out for
Lallianzuala Chhangte
Arguably the best Indian player at the moment, Lallianzuala Chhangte is expected to shine on the right wing again. With the departure of Bheke, Chhangte has also been handed the captain’s armband and it will be interesting to see how the ‘Mizo flash’ leads his team from the front.
With ten goals and six assists, Chhangte had the highest goal contributions for MCFC last season, also the highest by an Indian player.
Nikolaos Karelis
Greece’s Karelis, MCFC’s new striker, is expected to bring goals and a wealth of European experience to the ISL.
Karelis has played in Greece, Russia, Belgium, Netherlands and even in England’s then-Championship-side Brentford in 2019 but missed most of the season due to injury. He has scored 103 goals, and given 29 assists in his 361 professional matches. He has also scored two goals in the Europa League during his stint with Greek club Panathinaikos.
A complete striker, the 32-year-old is expected to cause big trouble to the opposition backline.
Transfer rating - 5/10
Although MCFC has done well to bring in reinforcements in the attack, Kratky hasn’t signed any big name in defence. Apart from the centre-back pairing of Tiri and Thaer Krouma, and Mehtab Singh as one of the full-backs, MCFC doesn’t have another defender with regular first-team experience.
Moreover, the Islanders have allowed too many players, who were crucial in its Cup-winning run last season, to depart to rival clubs, which could come back to bite them, later this season.
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