Mumbai:
If statistics in the current Indian Super League are to be believed, it wouldn’t be wrong to state that FC Goa’s impressive 4-1 victory over Delhi Dynamos was just the scoreline waiting to happen.
The current 7th place FC Goa is a win away from breaking into the top four chart in the League Table and tomorrow could be the day for the Robert Pires-captained side to dislodge their opponents Mumbai City FC from this position. Statistics favours FC Goa as the team has finally found their mojo at the start of second leg of inaugural Indian Super League.
The Zico-coached side has been the most attacking team in Hero ISL so far. With all teams having played eight games each, FC Goa stands out having managed to make the most shots (114), of which 65 have been on target indicating the Brazilian legend is playing heavy on its attacking strategy.
FC Goa is only third in the list of most goal scored team in the ISL. Chennaiyin FC having scored 14 goals in the League so far is topping the list, followed by ATK at 11 goals and FC Goa with nine goals.
Helping Zico and FC Goa cause of being the most attacking side is Arsenal legend Robert Pires. 41-years-old, though scored his first goal against Delhi in the last match and having played only six games out of 8, has mostly been influential as a playmaker for the most attacking team in the ISL. With a pass accuracy of 88.28 percent, Pires has found his teammates 211 times out of 239 and has been 66.6 percent accurate with his shots on goal.
FC Goa have also forced the most number of corners 51, and enjoys the second best Average Ball Possession (ABP) rate of 51.63 percent, only a half point percentage lesser than NorthEast United FC.
The last is not surprising given both NorthEast United and FC Goa are the two teams in ISL which had retained their I-League squad ie Shillong Lajong FC and Dempo Sports Club.
Mumbai City FC on the other hand has lifted their game since Nicolas Anelka taking charge on the field. Off the eight games played so far, the Ranbir Kapoor owned team has scored eight goals from 98 attempts, but have been close on target only 56 times.
With odds heavily on FC Goa side, it would be an intense game of football on Monday at DY Patil Stadium, New Mumbai with two living legends from French, Pires and Anelka brining their experience to the table.
