After narrowly missing out on capturing their maiden Hero Indian Super League (ISL) title in their debut season, Bengaluru FC will look to set things straight when they begin their 2018-19 campaign. Facing the very team that crushed their hopes in 2017-18 in their season opener, the Blues will be vying for revenge against Chennaiyin FC. The Southern outfit has had a few changes in personnel over the summer but has done well to retain some of their senior players and young talents.

Here we take a look at the 2017-18 finalists’ chances ahead of the new season.

TRANSFER INS AND OUTS

The Blues had to say goodbye to one of their most influential figures in John Johnson, who left the club after five fruitful seasons to represent ATK. Replacing Johnson at the back will be a hard task, but veteran Albert Serran has been brought in to fill the void left by the departing Englishman.

However, the reigning Hero Super Cup champions did well to retain the service of star forward Miku, while also bringing on board Bhutanese hotshot Chencho Gyeltshen to add more firepower up front. Spanish midfielder Xisco Hernandez signed for the club in July and will supply the much-needed creativity at the centre of the park.

Rino Anto makes his return to the club and will serve as a reliable addition to the backline, which will also miss the services of the impressive Subhasish Bose, who signed for Mumbai City FC ahead of the season.


AT THE HELM

Shockwaves hit Bengaluru shores earlier in the summer when head coach Albert Roca decided to call time on his stint with the club after steering the boat successfully for two seasons.

But it was Roca’s former assistant Carles Cuadrat, who gladly accepted the offer of succeeding Roca to the throne. The Spaniard has been working alongside Roca for a few years and hence, we can expect the Blues to employ a similar playing philosophy for the upcoming season.

Bengaluru, though, haven’t have had the brightest of starts under their new manager. After a fairly disappointing pre-season trip in Spain, the Blues bowed out of the AFC Cup last month, losing to Altyn Asyr. However, with some time in his hand to work with the squad, Cuadrat can be expected to turn things around in time for their first game of the season.

STRENGTHS

Similar to last season, the dynamic forward duo of Sunil Chhetri and Miku will be the men responsible for leading Bengaluru’s title charge this season. Chhetri had a splendid 2017-18 campaign and was deservedly awarded the ‘Hero of the Season’ award, while Miku finished as Bengaluru’s top scorer with 15 goals.

If the duo can replicate their goal-scoring prowess from last season, the South Indian side is sure to emerge as the front-runners to the league crown once again.

Another factor that will favour Bengaluru is their ability to play free-flowing football, which was one of their hallmarks last season. The Blues will be quite a handful if they are allowed to get into their groove and opponents need to be wary of the threat they possess.

AREAS OF CONCERN

Despite the arrival of Albert Serran and Rino Anto, John Johnson and Subhasish Bose’s loss will be a hard pill to swallow for Bengaluru. The Blues did look leggy and timid at the back in their AFC Cup encounter against Altyn Asyr.

If Cuadrat doesn’t address his team’s defensive lapses soon, it could prove to be a setback during the league campaign and might indirectly hamper the attacking arsenal present in the squad.

SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Poireianganba Meitei Soram, Aditya Patra

Defenders: Rahul Shankar Bheke, Albert Serran, Sairuatkima, Juan Antonio Gonzalez Fernandez, Harmanjot Singh Khabra

Midfielders: Erik Endel Paartalu, Kean Francis Lewis, Dimas Delgado Morgado, Bidyananda Singh Ningthoujam, Boithang Haokip, Francisco Hernandez Marcos, Udanta Singh Kumam, Chencho Gyeltshen, Ajay Chhetri, Altamash Sayed

Forwards: Thongkhosiem Haokip, Sunil Chhetri, Nicolas Ladislao Fedor

FINAL VERDICT

Despite a new manager at the helm and the loss of a few key players, Bengaluru still have the necessary firepower to become the best club in the country. Given their performances last season as well as the quality of players at their disposal, the Blues once again come into the season as strong contenders.

They will commence their 2018-19 Hero ISL campaign with two back-to-back home encounters, first against defending champions Chennaiyin FC in a repeat of last season’s final, and second against Jamshedpur FC. Their first away match will be played in Pune against FC Pune City. 

To view their full list of fixtures for the season, click here.