How Kratky and Indian talent carried Mumbai City to ISL championship triumph
A midseason change in management could have been catastrophic for the Islanders, but the new coach found the right way to balance predecessor Buckingham’s style and his own philosophies to carry a young and determined side to the podium
Thousands of fans fell silent at the Salt Lake stadium on Saturday when Mumbai City FC (MCFC) became the ISL Champion, beating Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) 31 in its backyard.
Just a few weeks back, MCFC had a night to forget when it lost its League Shield to MBSG under the same skies. But with the reversal in the nal, it was a tting end to what has been an eventful campaign for the westcoast side.
With three wins and two draws from the rst ve league games, MCFC had a decent start to its season, but the club underwent a major change in November, when its longestserving head coach Des Buckingham left to join England’s Oxford United.
A midseason change in management could have derailed MCFC’s season, however, the City Football Group found an able replacement in Petr Kratky.
The 42yearold tactician moved from sister club Melbourne City FC, where he was an assistant manager. The role with the defending ISL Shield champion was his rst assignment as a head coach, raising eyebrows, but Kratky delivered.
MCFC nished second in the standings with 47 points, just one shy of the shield. The Islanders were incredible during the nal stretch of the league, picking 25 points from the last ten games, with eight wins and a draw. But the sole loss came against MBSG in the last match, costing them the Shield.
Apart from that defeat, it lost two more games in the league with the rst coming in December against Kerala Blasters while the next came against Jamshedpur FC at home in February.
The ISL playos, too, could have panned out dierently for MCFC but for the stoppagetime heroics of Lallianzuala Chhangte and Vikram Partap Singh in the rst leg of the semi nal against FC Goa. The Islanders were trailing 02 until the 89th minute, but three goals in just seven minutes — including two in stoppage time – turned things around dramatically. In the second leg, it cruised to a 20 win to seal the tie 52.
In the nal, MCFC dominated possession and controlled the tempo but was once again trailing 01 at halftime. But this time, the Islanders held their nerve to lift the coveted trophy.
Kratky has continued with Buckingham’s 433 formation and adopted a similar possessionbased approach to his predecessor. MCFC attacked in huge numbers by crowding the opponent’s half and predominantly attacked through the wings. In the nal third, MCFC usually moved deep into the ¡anks and made cutbacks for the strikers to attack inside the box.
While on the backfoot, MCFC stayed deep and defended in numbers inside the box. The Islanders had the best defensive record – conceding just 19 goals in the regular league stage.
MCFC, however, seemed vulnerable in the rst half with its defending. 11 out of the 23 goals it conceded, including two in the knockouts, came in the rst 45 minutes.
Although MCFC had a good campaign in the ISL, it couldn’t quite reciprocate its form in other competitions. It got knocked out of the Durand Cup last year in the quarter nals by the Mariners and despite doing well in the group stage of the Super Cup in January, were eliminated by Odisha FC in the semi nals.
MCFC also had a disappointing showing in Asia, losing all its six games in the AFC Champions League this season. The Islanders were in a tough group with Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Navbahor (Uzbekistan) and Nassaji Mazandaran (Iran).
MCFC lost its home game 02 against the Saudi giant Al Hilal, but the scoreline didn’t do justice to how it played despite being the underdog.
The Islanders were down to 10 men but fought hard to limit Al Hilal’s might on the ball despite the opposition having the lion’s share of possession (79 per cent). Although beaten, the host showed great character against the powerpacked Hilal squad.
MCFC underwent major changes not just in its management, but in its playing sta as well. Key players like Mourtada Fall and Ahmed Jahouh, who were integral in the side’s Shield win last season, left for Odisha FC.
Leftback Akash Mishra and mid elder Yoell Van Nie, two of the rst names on the team sheet, were brought in last summer by Buckingham. They also signed a new centreback pairing of Thaer Krouma and Tiri, who stabilised MCFC with their contributions. The Islanders also loaned in local player Jayesh Rane from Bengaluru FC, who made vital contributions coming o the bench and had four assists in the ISL.
Highpro le overseas players Greg Stewart, El Khayati Nasser and Rostyn Gri¦ths left the club midway through the season in the January break and Iker Guarrotxena, the reinforcement brought in up front, got injured soon.
Despite the drawbacks, Kratky took advantage of the depth in his squad and entrusted the domestic youngsters to keep MCFC’s boat a¡oat.
From being an occasional substitute at the start of the season, Vikram Partap became one of the crucial attackers under Kratky. The 22yearold made 23 appearances while scoring eight goals and providing four assists. His performances also earned him a spot in the Indian National team for the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.
Young players like Gurkirat Singh, Ayush Chikkara, Vinit Rai and Hmingthanmawia Ralte (Valpuia) also prospered under the Czech coach.
With ten goals and six assists, Chhangte had the highest goal contributions for MCFC, also the most by an Indian player. A rightwinger with a mean left foot, the 26yearold was a menace on the ¡anks and pivotal for MCFC’s success, especially after the playmaker Stewart’s departure.
Another youngster in the ranks, Lalengmawia Ralte (Apuia) was instrumental for the Islanders in the mid eld. The 23yearold created 17 scoring chances throughout the season and his passing in the middle of the park was a catalyst to MCFC’s possession style of play.
It’s only been ve months since the Czech took charge and he has already become a favourite among both fans and his players.
In both victory and defeat, Kratky is always smiling, and his charismatic nature brought positivity to the side. “Kratky gives us individual attention in training and gives us valuable insights from previous games in training. We do something new every day and we really enjoy his training sessions,” MCFC defender Mehtab Singh told Sportstar in an interaction.
Kratky has taken ISL by storm in his rst season, helping MCFC to a welldeserved trophy.
The Islanders are in safe hands and if Kratky cracks the transfer window, it could be another campaign to remember next year. 2015: 2016: 2017-18: 2023-24:
We just tried to stay positive and keep believing. As soon as we scored the rst one, we knew that we were on a good pathway. We scored the second and the third and we knew we were done... sometimes in football you get lows and highs. Very proud of the group and how we handled it. It means a lot for the club. Because it is not easy and you don’t get this opportunity all the time PETR KRATKY