Having failed to book a berth in the semi-finals of the inaugural Hero Indian Super League season, Delhi Dynamos FC have gone on to make semis appearances in each of the following editions and were even labeled the most entertaining side to watch last year.

Their two semi-final legs in 2015 saw them go to Goa with a one goal lead before losing 3-0 against FC Goa in Fatorda. Last season, they travelled to Kochi trailing 1-0 and won 2-1, but were knocked out after failing to hold their nerve in the shootout. Both times, the common theme of failing to shine away from home came to surface. The Lions, it seems are more comfortable playing at home, but need to give a better account of themselves away from home.

This time, at the helm for the Dynamos will be Spaniard Miguel Angel Portugal. He will have to improve on Delhi’s performance from last season when Gianluca Zambrotta’s side set the pace but couldn’t sustain that intensity for the entire season. Miguel, in fact, will be Delhi’s fourth coach in as many seasons with Herm van Veldhoven (Belgium), Roberto Carlos (Brazil) and Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy) all bringing their unique styles in previous seasons. The past three campaigns have seen the fans witness cautious, efficient and attack-minded sides with plenty of flair. One would not put, seeing a combination of all these three traits in the upcoming season, beyond them.

Hero ISL 2017-18 has seen Delhi change their approach, which was heavily reliant on stars players like Florent Malouda, Robin Singh, Richard Gadze and Marcelinho in the past. The upcoming season, however, will see them go with a holistic spread of players to create a more cohesive unit.

The pressure to perform will be felt across the lineup with hard-working players like Pritam Kotal, Sena Ralte, Pratik Chowdhury, Seityasen Singh and Romeo Fernandes coming in. They will also have experienced South American players like Matias Mirabaje (Uruguay) and Paulinho Dias (Brazil) in midfield. The Dynamos have made it a habit of unearthing unknown talents and transforming them into household names, which is a testament to their recruitment team. They were thus characteristically swift in the auction and strengthened their wide areas. Miguel has played for Real Madrid and coached their B and C teams in different stints. The 61-year-old is steeped in the culture of using wingers to maximum effect and it is reflected in the sort of players he chose to sign: expressive wingers and experienced foreigners through the middle.

Delhi's fans are accustomed to finishing in the top four. Only the inaugural season saw them narrowly fail to make the top as they finished fifth, missing out by just one point. Interestingly, the difference in their stats is negligible when compared with two-time champions ATK. Delhi have made more passes, have a better accuracy, have taken more shots and won more duels in fewer matches. They've also just scored one goal fewer than ATK in their Hero ISL history (64).

Records indicate that Delhi have improved with every passing season, however, now it is time for them to scale new heights and aim for the trophy. This is not a club habituated to backing down, it is a side which has evolved in a brutally consistent manner. More of the same and we can expect Delhi to be semi-final contenders, again, at the very least.