The Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 Matchweek 14 action saw 15 goals across six matches as 12 different scorers were on the mark to conclude another round of exciting contests in the top-tier. However, the number of goals were not the highlight of the past week, but it was instead, the intriguing action and tricky duels which caught the eye of everyone.
- A total of 159 shots were taken, boiling down to a whopping 26.5 ones per game
- 53 of the shots were taken on target, reflecting 33.3% accuracy on part of the players
- 65.51% of the attempted shots on target were saved by the goalkeepers or thwarted by the other team, demonstrating terrific defensive discipline.
- A total of 127 interceptions were made in Matchweek 14, with 21.16 of them being made on average per game.
o Odisha FC had an eventful week as they broke no sweat in putting three past Hyderabad FC before FC Goa held the league leaders to a 1-1 draw in Bhubaneswar. Similarly, Bengaluru FC won 1-0 against Chennaiyin FC before drawing 1-1 to Jamshedpur FC on the road.
o NorthEast United FC sneaked past East Bengal FC by 3-2 in a five-goal thriller in Guwahati whereas Mohun Bagan Super Giant made light work of Hyderabad FC with Anirudh Thapa and Jason Cummings finding the back of the net in a 2-0 victory.
o Odisha FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, and Bengaluru FC were the only sides who returned with a clean sheet amongst the nine teams in action last week. Here is a thorough breakdown of the action that ensued and what waits upon us in Matchweek 15.
Here’s a look at the highlights:
Odisha FC safe at the top
The Juggernauts grappled through three matches in seven days to secure seven points, and will now take a step behind with no encounters for them in Matchweek 15.
- Sergio Lobera and his side have not faced a league defeat since October 27 (2-1 vs Kerala Blasters FC)
- Topping the league in important offensive metrics like shot conversion (22%), shooting accuracy (51.2%), and passing (7119 excluding crosses, 81.3% completed)
Interestingly, the coming matchweek allows Kerala Blasters FC to get level with Odisha FC (15) in terms of matches played, and also get a one-point lead if they win both their games against Punjab FC and Chennaiyin FC
Similarly, Mohun Bagan Super Giant and FC Goa will clash, with Lobera & Co. keeping close tabs on the movements being made by their nearest rivals. Goa has a chance to strike the sweet spot and equal Odisha FC in points (31) with a win, but the Mariners will be keen to gradually climb the eight-point gap between them and the Juggernauts with the three-game advantage that they possess after playing only 12 games so far.
Big week ahead for Bengaluru FC
Gerard Zaragoza has delivered a mixed bag of results since the return of the league, with a loss to Punjab FC followed by a win against Chennaiyin FC before drawing away from home at Jamshedpur FC.
- The Blues struck only once each and in all of these three games and they boast of the second worst shot conversion (11.6%) in the league at present.
- Bengaluru FC is yet to pick a win on the road this season, drawing thrice and losing five out of eight such games.
They seem to require a kick, or a move on to get things going, boasting of the best record in the league by picking six points from matches that they have conceded first in.
Next Sunday, they will take on Mumbai City FC at the Mumbai Football Arena (MFA), a team that has the third-best record at home in ISL 2023-24, earning 14 points from seven of those games. Several factors come together to ensure an invigorating contest in all means.
FC Goa invincibility faces Mohun Bagan Super Giant test
With eight wins and four draws, the FC Goa bandwagon has found no stopping this season. They will now host the Mariners on February 14 and will hope that their terrific momentum sails through the challenge in hand again.
- The Gaurs are at the top of defensive metrics by a fair margin, conceding the least goals (6), facing the least shots (92, 21 on target), and keeping the most clean sheets (7) in the league until now
- They have the best accuracy (68%) from final third passes and have won seven points from losing positions so far in ISL 2023-24. With a solitary win in the last five league games, the Mohun Bagan Super Giant definitely face an uphill task against FC Goa.
NEUFC, East Bengal FC try to break out of crowded mid-table
NorthEast United FC rode on the Tomi Juric brace to secure three points against the Red & Gold Brigade, with four points (16 in 14 matches) and two additional games separating them from East Bengal FC (14 in 12 matches) currently.
Having lost the second-most points (11) from winning positions this season, NEUFC needs to avoid those tendencies when they face the Mariners in Kolkata coming Saturday.
They will hope that Juric’s arrival, who has experience playing in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Australia, will help them improve in certain offensive endeavours, having recorded only 14% shot conversion and 37.2% shooting accuracy in the current ISL campaign.
Similarly, Carles Cuadrat & Co. will want to regroup in their upcoming fixtures against Mumbai City FC and Hyderabad FC. A draw and a loss after the Kalinga Super Cup final win threatened the positive momentum that they had garnered slipping away from them.
All eyes on revived Jamshedpur FC, Punjab FC
Jamshedpur FC and Punjab FC have presented a pretty picture since the league resumption, recording thumping wins over Mumbai City FC and Bengaluru FC this month.
Punjab FC faces Kerala Blasters FC and the Red Miners in Matchweek 15. Both their wins so far have come at home and hence they will be backing their odds against Khalid Jamil’s men, but the Manjappada will put forth an unforeseen challenge in front of the league debutants. Having lost seven points from winning positions so far, Staikos Vergetis will hope his team is better aware of managing such situations in the second half of the season.
- Jamshedpur FC will demand greater efficiency from their forwards, with their second-best exG (expected goals) count of 18.3 in the league resulting in only 17 strikes for the team.
- Their exG is only next to the top-placed Odisha FC (19.6) currently, and Jamil will want no slip-ups from his frontline after they squandered a few chances to oust Bengaluru FC at home in the 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Team of the Week – Matchweek 14
Goalkeeper: Gurmeet Singh (Hyderabad FC)
Defenders: Nikhil Poojary (Bengaluru FC), Subhasish Bose (Mohun Bagan Super Giant), Aleksandar Jovanovic (Bengaluru FC), Jay Gupta (FC Goa)
Midfielders: Suresh Wangjam (Bengaluru FC), Ahmed Jahouh (Odisha FC), Nestor Albiach (NorthEast United FC), Manvir Singh (Mohun Bagan Super Giant)
Strikers: Tomi Juric (NorthEast United FC), Diego Mauricio (Odisha FC)
Average score: 31
Top scorers:
Jeremy Manzorro(JFC)-14
Imran Khan (JFC)- 14
Daniel Chukwu (JFC)- 13
Roy Krishna (OFC)- 10
Medih Talal (PFC) -10
Ones to watch
Sunil Chhetri (BFC)
Imran Khan (JFC)
Amey Ranawade (OFC)
Nishu Kumar (EBFC)
Where to Watch
Fans across the country can catch the action in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam. Fans can watch the action on linear channels like Sports18 Khel (Hindi), Sports18 1 HD (English), Sports18 3 SD (English, Hindi, Malayalam and Bengali), VH1 SD & HD (English), Surya Movies (Malayalam), News 18 Kerala (Malayalam – select matches) & DD Bangla (Bengali). Fans can also catch the action streaming Live for free on JioCinema, the home of Indian football. In addition to this, as part of FSDL’s partnership with OneFootball, ISL live streams and highlights of all matches of the upcoming 2023-24 season will be delivered across more than 190 countries.
