AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: After a week of results that upturned the table, the I-League kicks off again on Sunday, January 12, with a wounded Churchill Brothers eagerly hoping to banish the memories of a year-opening loss.

The other big game of the round pitches two perennial contenders, Real Kashmir and Sreenidi Deccan, against each other — albeit in an encounter that will decide the mid-table.

CORRECTING THE COURSE

There is no nastier hangover than being at the wrong end of a result that was completely in your control. Both Churchill Brothers and bottom strugglers Aizawl FC will feel the pangs of that loss from the first game of the new year. Churchill looked a bit out of sorts in their loss to Namdhari FC at home, and have lost their standing in the league as a result of that. The gap is a mere one point, and not out of reach, but it will hurt knowing that they’ve dropped points at a time when they were on a hot streak.

Aizawl know about that. It’s tough enough to lose a game from a winning position once in a season, but for Aizawl this has happened multiple times this very season. They were seemingly coasting to a win against Sreenidi before imploding and now are in real danger of dropping to the bottom of the table.

THE TABLES TURN & CHURN

One week you’re top, and the next week you’re in the middle. One season you challenge for a title and the next you are staving off relegation. For Real Kashmir and Sreenidi Deccan the only constant is change.

It took a single-goal loss for Real Kashmir to tumble from third to eighth on the table going into this fixture. And worse, they’re locked on points with Sreenidi who were second from bottom last week. The Hyderabad outfit, somehow, grabbed three points from a game in which they were outplayed majorly. While the result is a boost, the performance might still provoke questions within. This clash might not have the glamour of the top of the table, but it could provide either form or confidence to both sides yet to find firm fitting in the season.

CONSISTENCY, BRAVERY & PANACHE

It is still early doors in the season, but Inter Kashi’s consistency must be lauded for what it’s worth. Their lone loss to Churchill aside, the club have been a sea change to the other contenders in the league, consistently racking up results as others falter and fail.

They have scored twice as many as they’ve conceded and looked every bit the favourites. And yet, they haven’t strung together more than two wins on the trot. This week they have a chance to break that streak and really grab the top position on the table. Namdhari will be tough opponents and are perhaps the grittiest side in the league, but this is what title runs are made of. A result here would burnish their ambitions. 

For Dempo Sports Club, the anonymity of the mid-table may soon beckon unless they can rediscover their mojo. They’ve lost two on the trot now and three of their last five. It is a rut they need to get out of and unfortunately, they come up against opponents who have paddled against that wave. Gokulam aren’t quite hitting their best form — and play out more draws than they’d like — but kicked off their new year with a five-star performance against Delhi. They’ll be hoping for more.           

FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL

Most observers will feel that SC Bengaluru are doomed this season. Five points on the board, having registered the most losses, it’s tough to argue against that. But a keener look tells a different story. In reality, four of those five points have come in SC Bengaluru’s last five games, and even against Rajasthan they almost nicked away something before failing at the end. The league is a marathon and SC Bengaluru have hopefully just warmed up. Against Shillong Lajong FC, they will not be favourites, but even a point will be hugely valuable in the story of the season. 

Delhi FC and Rajasthan United come into this on the back of contrasting results, but barely much else. The former were reliant on a late flurry to get the points against Bengaluru and the latter did not even turn up in their game against Gokulam. A win for Delhi would see them switch the table up, and one for Rajasthan would ensure that they stay safe from the dredges of yet another relegation battle.