Who will be the first Champion?

ISL Build up – Who will be the first champion?

ISL is drawing to a closure and we have our two finalists. Atletico de Kolkata will face giant killers Kerala Blasters. The two sides were the success tale in each half of the season. Kolkata had superb first half while Blasters had a superb latter half.

We’ll compare the key players in each department for both the sides to see who has the edge.

Defense –

Both the sides are equal in this part of the pitch with these players being the pick of the bunch.

Sandip Nandy – Blasters

The Indian keeper has been in sublime form for the southern side as he led Blasters into the finals with his fine piece of goal keeping skill.

Arnab Mondal – 

He has been highly underrated for the Kolkatans but the Bengal lad has been immense for the Red and Whites in second half. He will be crucial once again in the finals.

Midfield –

This is the area where Kolkata has an edge over Blasters as Antonio Habas’ side is fully loaded in midfield with Borja, Garcia and Jofre.

On the other hand, Blasters lack a midfield general but are highly lethal on wings with Pearson and Forcada are a menace for opposing full backs. Add, Sandesh Jhinghan on the left and they can wreak havoc. Just ask Marco Materazzi and you’ll know what I mean.

Attack –

Kolkata plays with a lone man up front as they prefer a more robust midfield to hog on the possession. Fikru shone for them in the first half but since then he fizzled out. Mohammad Rafi has been good but is not breathing fire at the moment.

Blasters have a perfect number 9 in Iain Hume. He plays according to his team’s strengths and is brilliant at holding up the play for the Blasters wide men who bomb forward at every possible instance. He also has a moment of magic in his arsenal where he can score absolutely out of nothing.

This is the only department where both the sides are having some kind of visible gulf, which could make or break the final.

Verdict – This is going to be too close to call but the momentum supports Blasters while Kolkata cannot be discounted as they are very solid in all the departments. 20th December and we will surely have our answer.