ISL: Falling off cliff - the worst-ever season for former champions Bengaluru FC

Bengaluru FC have had a nightmarish season in the tenth edition of the Indian Super League (ISL), making their worst-ever finish on the league table. They ended the ISL 2023-24 season at a dreadful 10th position with just 22 points.  

The Blues' campaign had been at a crossroads from the very beginning. They lost their first two consecutive matches of the season, a 1-2 defeat to Kerala Blasters in a south Indian derby and then a 0-1 defeat to the eventual league shield champions Mohun Bagan SG.

They managed only five wins from their 22 matches this season and had seven draws to their name. In most of those draws, they were the team to concede the first goal in the match. 

Here, The Bridge is looking at the overall season for the former champions, Bengaluru FC:

Poor defensive display

Bengaluru FC had a pretty bad defensive record in the ISL season 10, especially in the first 30 minutes of the game which also led to their 10 defeats. They conceded 10+ goals in the first quarter of the game, which stated that they were chasing for most of the portion in a match.

Their defensive record is so bad that they were in the bottom two in terms of successful tackles (197) and managed only five clean sheets while conceding 34 goals this season.

The club also had a horrific away record this season as they managed only 3 points in the 11 away matches, which was the least amount of away points among all the 12 teams. The problem was their defence in away matches, as they conceded 20 goals.

Lack of options in attack

The biggest problem for the club this season was their goal-scoring prowess as they only managed to score 20 goals, which is even less than one goal per match. They had the second-worst goal-scoring rate after Hyderabad FC.

They also had a very poor attacking record in the season and had an average of just eight shots per match, which signified their incapability in creating chances in the final third. Kanteerava Stadium which proved to be their citadel in the past was brutally conquered by Mumbai City FC and Mohun Bagan SG with the massive 4-0 wins.

They also could not create many goal-scoring chances in front of the goal, hence fifty per cent of the team's goals came out just from two of their star players, Sunil Chhetri and Javi Hernandez. The duo scored five goals each. Star players like Suresh Singh Wangjam and Roshan Singh flopped, failing to reach their full potential.

Few emerging prospects from the season

Bengaluru FC had always been in successful finding top young players, but this season they could not find any new prospects. 

The 19-year-old defender, Chingambam Singh, who played only 12 matches this season showed his brilliant defensive skills. But, he lacked consistency which he will look to improve in the coming season.

The biggest find of the season for Bengaluru FC was the 21-year-old midfielder, Harsh Patre, who played a key role in an important position for the club and showed some good holding play in the midfield. He could be a much better prospect for the team next season if he added a bit of good attacking prowress to his game.

Verdict: 3/10

Bengaluru FC had one of their worst season in the 2023-24. A tenth-place finish in the ISL and group stage exits in the Durand Cup and Super Cup. Besides that, none of their foreign signings could make any impact.

In terms of Indian domestic talent, Siva Sakthi Narayan and Rohit Danu haven't built up to their progress from the previous season.

However, Bengaluru FC, who are famous for grinding domestic talents through their academies, added another feather to their cap after winning the Best Elite Youth Program award this season.

The club will now surely head to the table to churn out plans for redemption next season, possibly making a few changes in the transfer window. According to the reports, they have already started searching for an explosive striker.