ISL: What to expect from Bengaluru FC this season

Bengaluru FC has been a powerhouse in Indian football for a few years now. Things started to change last year when the Blues had their worst campaign in the Indian Super League. Hopefully, things are set to change this season with the appointment of the 52-year-old German manager Marco Pezzaiuoli. Here are a few things to expect from Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League 2021-22 season.

Reviving play-off hopes

During their four years in the Indian Super League, Bengaluru FC has qualified three times for the play-offs. The Blues have only failed out to reach the ISL playoffs once in the history of the club. Except for their sub-standard performance last season, the club has never failed to finish in the top 3 positions in the league. This season, Marco Pezzaiuoli and his men are set to change things around.

The Bengaluru-based outlet had a slow start in the AFC Cup 2021. The club finished third with 4 points at the end of the Group stage actions. Many Indian youngsters showcased promising performances during the tournament. With the addition of Bruno Ramires and Iman Basafa to their squad after the AFC, Bengaluru FC is all set to revive their playoff hopes this season.

New Faces in the camp

The Blues has changed their coaching staff and has added some new faces to the squad ahead of the new season. Cleiton Silva is the only foreign player from last season to be retained by the Blues. BFC has signed the likes of Yrondu Musavu-King, Prince Ibara, Alan Costa (on loan from Avaí FC), Bruno Ramires, and Iman Basafa as their five other new foreigners.

They have also added Indian talents like Jayesh Rane, Sarthak Golui, Harmanpreet Singh, Danish Farooq, Rohit Kumar, and Bidyashagar Singh to the squad. The club has also promoted some great young prospects from their reserve squad to the first team for this season. The addition of all these players is expected to improve the squad performance from last season, which was a season to forget when compared to BFC's previous records.

Change in style of play

The 52-year-old German tactician Marco Pezzaiuoli was appointed as the head coach of Bengaluru FC ahead of their AFC Cup qualifiers. Pezzaiuoli has great experience in working with various youth teams of the German national team. He has coached various clubs like Karlsruher SC, Eintracht Trier, 1899 Hoffenheim, Cerezo Osaka. Pezzaiuoli has also worked as the technical director of the Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt from 2017 to 2020 before signing the contract for BFC.

Even though the club had a disappointing start under the German during the AFC Cup 2021 group stages, the final game in the group against the Dhivehi Premier League champions Maziya S&RC was a propitious game with some really gifted Indian youngsters stealing the spotlight.

Pezzaiuoli often opts for an attacking style of play that adapts to defending as well when required. He is someone who likes to bring out the maximum potential of young players. As the club had a long pre-season under Pezzaiuoli at Bellary and Goa, the squad must have understood their flaws and will be very keen to rectify them before the start of the new season.