From dominance to difficulty: A look at Bengaluru FC's season so far
The Blues had a strong start till Matchweek 6 but have since struggled to maintain consistency, losing crucial points this season.

Bengaluru FC recorded their joint best start to an Indian Super League (ISL) season in the ongoing 2024-25 campaign, winning five of their first six games and keeping a clean sheet in each of their first five matches in the league this term. Things haven’t been as rosy for Gerard Zaragoza’s men ever since with the Blues succumbing to four defeats in their 10 games since that initial burst (three wins, three draws), without maintaining a clean sheet since that initial run without conceding a goal.
Although Bengaluru FC’s attacking output continued to deliver, it was the defensive side of things that has seen their fans continue to grow frustrated as the season has gone on. Here, we have split the season into two parts – upto Matchweek six and since Matchweek seven – to better understand their campaign through the lens of their expected goals and expected goals against values.
Bengaluru FC since Matchweek 6
Games | Goals | Expected Goals (xG) | Goals Conceded | Expected Goals Against (xGA) |
6 | 11 | 5.63 | 1 | 5.31 |
Bengaluru FC since Matchweek 7
Games | Goals | Expected Goals (xG) | Goals Conceded | Expected Goals Against (xGA) |
10 | 18 | 11.52 | 20 | 11.86 |
- In the first six Matchweeks of the ISL 2024-25 season, Bengaluru FC scored 11 goals from an expected goals (xG) tally of 5.63, with their xG differential (goals – xG) of 5.37 being the second highest of all teams in the league in that period (NorthEast United FC – 5.69); their xG differential of 5.98 since the start of Matchweek7 is only bettered by FC Goa (9.04) and Odisha FC (8.07) in that period.
- Bengaluru FC conceded only one goal between Matchweek one and six from an expected goals against (xGA) value of 5.31; their xGA differential (goals conceded – xGA) of -4.31 was the lowest of all teams in the competition in that period.
- Since the start of Matchweek 7, Bengaluru FC have conceded 20 goals from an expected goals against (xGA) value of 11.86; the Blues’ xGA differential is the highest of all teams in the league in that period.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s difficult run in goal
The Blues’ defensive inconsistency this season is probably best characterized by the performances of their goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Earlier in the season, he became just the third goalkeeper in ISL history to record five consecutive clean sheets (also Subrata Paul and Arshdeep Singh).
Sandhu has equalled his longest run without a clean sheet in the league (11 games – December 2020 to January 2021). In fact, several of Gurpreet’s key stats so far in 2024-25 are only better than those in seasons where Bengaluru FC failed to qualify for the playoffs – not quite the outcome Zaragoza would have envisioned for his team given how the campaign began.
- Sandhu has recorded four errors leading to goals in the ongoing ISL season, the joint most by a player in a single campaign (also Amrinder Singh in 2024-25); Sandhu also has five errors leading to shots this season, the outright highest by any player in a single season.
- Sandhu has recorded a save percentage of 70.2% in the ongoing season of the ISL, a rate that further drops to 59.7% in the 10 games since the start of MD7; Sandhu recorded a save percentage rate of 70% or higher in each of the four seasons that Bengaluru FC qualified for the playoffs of the league.
- Sandhu has conceded 1.3 goals per game so far in the 2024-25 Indian Super League season (21 goals in 16 matches), his third highest such rate over the course of any campaign in the league; only in 2023-24 (1.6 goals/game) and 2021-22 (1.5 goals/game) has he conceded goals at a higher such rate.
Ryan’s rise to the top?
While Bengaluru FC’s defense has faced its troubles as the season has progressed, their attack only seems to have thrived. The most important piece in Bengaluru FC’s attacking jigsaw in recent weeks has arguably been Aussie winger Ryan Williams. His impact on Zaragoza’s team can be understood better through the table below that shows just how much Williams has contributed to the side’s attacking output while on the pitch.
Name | Team | Games With | Team Goals | Player G+A | % goals contributed to |
Alaaeddine Ajaraie | NorthEast United FC | 17 | 31 | 21 | 67.4% |
Ryan Williams | Bengaluru FC | 10 | 14 | 9 | 64.2% |
Luka Majcen | Punjab FC | 11 | 15 | 9 | 60.0% |
Dorielton Nascimento | Odisha FC | 3 | 5 | 3 | 60.0% |
Mirjalol Kasimov | Mohammedan SC | 14 | 5 | 3 | 60.0% |
Nikolaos Karelis | Mumbai City FC | 16 | 16 | 10 | 62.5% |
- Ryan Williams has contributed to 64.2% (9 out of 14) of the goals that Bengaluru FC have scored in the ISL this season with him on the pitch, the second highest such rate of all players in the league whose teams have scored at least five goals with them on the pitch this term (Alaaeddine Ajaraie – 67.4%).
- Williams averages a goal contribution every 68 minutes (9 G+A in 612 minutes) in the ongoing ISL season, the best such rate among all Bengaluru FC players to have registered at least three goal contributions in a single season; in fact, it is also the second best such rate among all players this season to register at least three goal contributions, after Alaaeddine Ajaraie.
- Williams' 2.7 chances created per 90 minutes is still the highest among all BFC players, Diaz averages is 2.3 chances created per game and Mohammed Salah averages 2.5 chances created per game (5 chances in 181 minutes)