The eighth edition of the ISL begins on Friday, November 19. As a buildup to the new season, we take a look at all the teams participating in the tournament. In this article, we are looking at Bengaluru FC and how they are lining up for the new season.
Bengaluru FC Tentative Squad
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Lara Sharma, Sharon Padattil.
Defenders: Alan Costa, Yrondu Musavu-King, Pratik Chaudhari, Sarthak Golui, Parag Shrivas, Ajith Kumar, Wungngayam Muirang.
Midfielders: Suresh Singh Wangjam, Iman Basafa, Bruno Ramires, Ajay Chhetri, Ashique Kuruniyan, Namgyal Bhutia, Naorem Roshan Singh, Biswa Darjee, Damaitphang Lyngdoh, Akashdeep Singh, Rohit Kumar, Jayesh Rane, Danish Farooq.
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri (C), Edmund Lalrindika, Udanta Singh, Cleiton Silva, Leon Augustine, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Prince Ibarra, Bidyashagar Singh, Harmanpreet Singh.
Bengaluru FC Team Profile
After finishing in the seventh position last year, new manager Marco Pezzaiuoli will have to work hard to turn the team into title competitors once again. Their performances in the AFC Cup were not very good, but it provided Pezzaiuoli with a platform to understand where changes are needed.
Bengaluru have a great attacking line-up, with captain Sunil Chhetri, Cleiton Silva and Prince Ibarra. Moreover, they have India’s first-choice goalkeeper in their team as well, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
1️⃣ – Bengaluru FC's Captain and striker Sunil Chhetri is one goal away from being the joint all time top scorer of #HeroISL along with ex FC Goa striker Ferran Corominas at 48 goals. ⚽🔵#HeroISL #IndianFootball #BFC pic.twitter.com/FfCf6lWdQU
— 90ndstoppage (@90ndstoppage) November 17, 2021
Organising the defense ahead of Sandhu will be the biggest challenge for Pezzaiuoli this season. Alan Costa and Yrondu Musavu-King, the two overseas centre-backs, have failed to show stability in the backline. Moreover, there is a lack of dependable India central defenders as well.
Should Pezzaiuoli be able to improve Bengaluru FC’s defense, they might be able to challenge for the title this time around.
