Defending a league title is a hard task. No team has managed the feat in the Indian Super League (ISL) or in the I-League (since it was re-branded at the start of the 2007-8 season). Bengaluru FC was minutes away from doing it back in the 2014-15 season in the I-League, when Bello Rasaq’s last-gasp equaliser handed Mohun Bagan the crown. Maybe it is because teams find it hard to perform at a consistently high level year after year; perhaps it is because rivals catch up.
Either way, it is a challenge — one that the reigning ISL champion will hope to surmount when the new season begins. BFC has retained much of its title-winning squad, with Miku the one notable exception. The Venezuelan, who seemed to have a telepathic understanding with Sunil Chhetri on the pitch, and was an integral part of BFC’s success in the ISL, has left. It is a big blow but BFC will have to move on.
The club has signed six players in the off-season, including India winger Ashique Kuruniyan and the former Osasuna striker Manuel Onwu. BFC will look to Onwu, who is expected to start in the middle of a forward three that also includes Chhetri and Udanta Singh, to provide the goals.
Also on BFC’s roster this season is Raphael Augusto. The Brazilian was a star at Chennaiyin and should add a great deal of creative spark to BFC’s midfield. The squad is clearly deeper, and should serve BFC well as it tries to balance its AFC commitments with the ISL.
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