Hero ISL 2022-23: Mark Tompkins picks Team of Matchweek 18

Hero Indian Super League (ISL) commentator Mark Tompinks was tasked with selecting the Team for Matchweek 18 and Tompkins had to make some tough calls, with plenty of players putting in a good shift in the week gone by.

Two matches ended up in a draw in Matchweek 18. Meanwhile, Jamshedpur FC and East Bengal FC, placed in the bottom half of the Hero ISL standings, conjured up wins alongside Bengaluru FC, who got the better of ATK Mohun Bagan on the road.

Tompkins has opted for a 4-3-3 formation with four Hyderabad FC players featuring in his line-up, following their impressive away draw against Mumbai City FC. Kerala Blasters FC captain Adrian Luna also finds a place, despite his side’s defeat against East Bengal FC.

Here’s a look at Tompkins’ Team of Matchweek 18:

Goalkeeper

Kamaljit Singh

He was one of the two goalkeepers to keep a cleansheet in Matchweek 18. He made a world-class save against Apostolos Giannou in the second half in the game against Kerala Blasters FC, so he gets a place in goal.

Defenders

Nikhil Poojary

Hyderabad FC did a brilliant job against Mumbai City FC, restricting them to one goal and hence, there are three Hyderabad FC players in the back four.

He had a good game against Mumbai City FC. Right-back was problematic position (to choose from), looking at the games, but Poojary kept Bipin Singh quiet. Not many have done that, which is why Hyderabad FC feature heavily in the back four.

Nim Dorjee

He continues to keep Chinglensana Singh out of the starting line-up although Sana is not 100 percent fit. Nim has done an amazing job whenever he has come in and he did a brilliant job in keeping the likes of Jorge Diaz and Greg Stewart quiet in the middle.

Charalambos Kyriacou

He really marshalled that defence against Kerala Blasters FC and won virtually everything in the air, and did a good really job. He is keeping Ivan Gonzalez out of the starting eleven, which is not a bad feat either. Stephen Constantine put his faith in Kyriacou, who repaid that faith with a great performance.

Akash Mishra

Mishra was the Hero of the Match against Mumbai City FC. Another solid performance from a player that Hyderabad FC might struggle to hold onto if he keeps up this form. He is surely going to be alerting some of the other sides within the Hero ISL. He also did a brilliant job in keeping Lallianzuala Chhangte quiet, which not many defenders have done this season.

Midfielders

Hitesh Sharma

Sharma gets the pick for his goal against Mumbai City FC and a great performance. He managed to get to the byline and squeeze the ball in past Phurba Lachenpa and it was no mean feat. It was also his first Hero ISL goal.

Rafael Crivellaro

It was a tussle between Crivellaro and Javier Hernandez, but I decided to go with Crivellaro because he inspired Jamshedpur FC to that brilliant win. It was a rare win for Aidy Boothroyd. It was a brilliant through ball to set up Daniel Chima Chukwu for the second goal in that game, so Crivellaro, back with a vengeance, gets a place in the centre of the midfield.

Adrian Luna

Even though he was on the losing side, he is a consistent performer for Kerala Blasters FC and has been throughout the season. He gives 110 percent and covers 90 percent of the pitch. For his sheer work rate, he could have easily been the Hero of the Match on a losing side on a different day, but Luna gets the pick on the left of that midfield three.

Forwards

Isak Vanlalruatfela

He starred in the first game of Matchweek 18 in Odisha FC’s 2-2 draw against Chennaiyin FC. He scored in that game and was the Hero of the Match against Chennaiyin FC. He had an outstanding performance, so he forces his way into this Matchweek’s Team of the Week.

Sivasakthi Narayanan and Roy Krishna

I'm keeping together Roy Krishna and Sivasakthi Narayanan, who have been a revelation for Bengaluru FC in their current run. Krishna is playing better because he has a young, enthusiastic player like Sivasakthi alongside him. Krishna scored the second goal, a simple tap in from a great ball in by Pablo Perez, but his overall work rate and creativity was superb. He played a brilliant through ball for Sivasakthi, who was denied by an outstretched arm from Vishal Kaith. Otherwise, the Emerging Player of the Month as he was awarded on Sunday, would be looking at another game. He had a great game.

Head coach: Simon Grayson

He’s done a fantastic job with Bengaluru FC to help them get five wins in a row and back into the top six.

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