Although Chennaiyin FC, FC Goa, Atlético de Kolkata, and Kerala Blasters FC all have a chance to make the inaugural Hero Indian Super League (ISL) final, Chennaiyin and Goa enjoy an edge. And not merely because they will play the second leg of their respective semifinals on home turf. So says Indian football legend Shabbir Ali, recipient of the Dhyan Chand Award in 2011, the highest award in Indian sports for lifetime achievement.

The all-time Indian great striker and former India skipper who played in the 1970s and 1980s for the likes of Tata Sports Club, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting and scored numerous goals for both club and country (he has over 100 international caps), has been following the ISL diligently. In fact, he was at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday to watch Atlético de Kolkata rally to hold FC Goa 1-1 and qualify for the semis.

“It’s been a highly unpredictable tournament and anything can happen. As such, it’s difficult to say who will win it. But I feel that Chennai and Goa have an edge over the other two teams. The former, because they have been the most consistent all through, and the latter, because they have scripted a fantastic turnaround,” the Hyderabad-born Ali told indiansuperleague.com over the phone from Kolkata. 

Ali, who is the fastest Indian to score an international hat-trick (vs Indonesia in 1976 inside 35 minutes), says it does not matter much that Chennai and Goa are playing their second leg semifinal matches at home, as several upsets have occurred in the teams’ backyards -- then league leaders Kolkata were humbled by FC Pune City and table-toppers Chennai by Goa (both by 1-3 margins), among others.

The former India technical director, who has won the National Football League (the earlier avatar of the I-League) with Salgaocar, finds the dip in form of Atlético “most surprising”, considering how well they started. He does not think injuries and suspensions are majorly to blame, as these things are part and parcel of the game.

Ali appreciates how Zico has scripted Goa’s resurgence, which he ascribes mainly to the Brazilian’s adoption of a youth policy. In fact, Ali, who these days doubles up a football pundit on a television channel, claims that he publicly queried why Zico was not giving a chance to his youngsters when his team was struggling.

“Goa’s youngsters – Narayan Das, Mandar Rao Desai, Romeo Fernandes, Bikramjit Singh etc – have galvanised the team,” Ali pointed out. “Goa are playing tactical and technical football of a high quality and their confidence is also high.” Ali also says veterans like Grégory Arnolin, who was prone to errors earlier, have bucked up under Zico’s mentorship.

Ali says the ISL has provided India’s veterans and senior players like Anwar Ali, Steven Dias, Mama (Shylo Malsawmtluanga), Adil Khan, Denson Devadas, Dhanachandra Singh, and Denzil Franco, among others, the platform to shine. He also lauded speedy winger Francis Fernandes for the excellent way in which he responded to Delhi coach Harm van Veldohoven’s ploy to play him in the middle.

Ali singled out NorthEast United gaffer Ricki Herbert for giving goalkeeper Rehenesh the chance to prove himself. He also highlighted how Durga Boro had started nervously but gained in confidence. And he considers Arnab Mondal, who was in his Bengal team that won the Santosh Trophy in 2010, as one of the unsung heroes of the ISL.

“It’s been a very interesting, very competitive tournament. Full credit to IMG-R and Star Sports and hats off to Mrs Nita Ambani for pulling this off. It’s a huge development for Indian football. Now, they must have a good grassroots programme and take things to the next level,” Ali concluded.