The four teams in the semi-finals of the inaugural Hero Indian Super League – Chennaiyin FC, FC Goa, Atlético de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters FC – have made the cut after a couple of months of some intense football and a nerve-racking final couple of days with dramatic double-headers. Kerala Blasters take on Chennaiyin and Atlético de Kolkata meet Goa in the double leg semi-finals to be played over the next few days.Heading into these fixtures, we look at the teams’ performance statistics both in attack and defence in the league phase featuring 14 matches each, and also take a peek at their disciplinary records. It’s no surprise that Kolkata and Chennai find themselves in the last four, going by their initial form, but Goa and Kerala have certainly merited their place amongst the final four based on grit and determination, turning their season around after the end of the first stage.Chennai and Goa have been the most attacking teams, based on wins and goals scored, but Goa have momentum on their side, having won five games and drawn two in the second stage of the tournament. All teams will be granted a fresh start in the knockout stage, and it will be interesting to see which team stands up and delivers on the given day.Defensive Statistics In football, results are everything, and defensively, Kerala have shown that they can grind out results by shutting out their opponents if need be. They’ve reached the top four with six clean sheets, and conceded the least amount of goals: 11. We could expect the same dogged determination from the team in yellow in the knockouts, and could look at teams playing away to adapt the same tactics.Disciplinary RecordTeams will be mightily relieved that all players and coaches head into the knockout stages with a clean slate, with all disciplinary incidents limited only to the league stages. The only thing they will have to be worried about now is being sent off. Kolkata have been more disciplined toward the end of the league stage, going against the grain what the statistics show, but all teams will have to be on their best behaviour in these high-stakes contests.
