ISL 2019 | Squad Analysis of Bengaluru FC for season 5

Winning 13 out of 18 matches in the league stage last year was the ideal start to the ISL that Bengaluru would have hoped for. The Blues then went on to thrash Pune City FC 3-1 over the two legs of the semi-final but suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of Chennaiyin FC in the summit clash. Following yet another trophy in the shape of the inaugural Super Cup, Roca walked away from the club citing personal reasons and the club announced assistant manager Carles Cuadrat as the man incharge in July. After defeats in the AFC Cup against Altyn Asyr, the real test now awaits Cuadrat as he takes on Chennaiyin in their season opener on September 30.

While BFC decided to retain the services of Rahul Bheke, Harmanjot Khabra, and Nishu Kumar at the back, the Bengaluru fans will be pleased with the return of right-back Rino Anto, who is the proud owner of one of the best chants in Indian football. With John Johnson moving to ATK, the Albert Serran have been brought in to secure the backline for the upcoming season and Bengaluru will hope that he can forge a partnership with the ever-reliable Juanan to recreate the defensive identity that took them to the final last year. Gursimrat Singh Gill from North East United FC, Sairuat Kima from Jamshedpur FC and Asheer Akhtar will also be a part of a strong and deep defensive line.

The midfield duo of Dimas Delgado and Erik Paartalu, who accounted for four goals and five assists last season to go with their defensive performances, will return in the heart of the Bengaluru midfield. The biggest acquisition for the Bengaluru based franchise has to be the acquisition of Kean Lewis who played a big part in taking Delhi and Pune to the playoffs in the last two seasons. But Lewis is not the only star to make his way to the Garden City with the likes of the Chencho Gyeltshen, nicknamed Bhutanese Ronaldo, and Xisco Hernandez joining Udanta Singh as a part of a strong wing contingent.

They have also roped in youngsters Ajay Chhetri and Altamash Sayed to their senior team and the duo will back up Boithang Haokip and Robinson Singh who are likely to start as substitutes. With Cuadrat mostly preferring the 4-4-2 formation, the competition among the ranks is only going to help Bengaluru become better this year.

Along with having one of the best backlines and midfield in the ISL, the two-time I-League winners also boast of arguably the best forward line in the competition. With the likes of skipper Sunil Chhetri and Nicolas Fedor aka Miku, BFC is assured of goals from their forward line this time as well. Last season, the duo had contributed 29 off the 40 goals that the club scored last season and their form in front of goal will be key in deciding where the Blues end up at the end of the year. The duo will be back by bu Sembi Haokip who could only muster two appearances in the last edition.

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