In the Indian Premier League, 'Mumbai' has become synonymous with excellence and consistency. With their fifth title earlier this month, Mumbai Indians have underlined their dominance in the most lucrative T20 league in the world. It took the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai outfit years to become what it is today – a well-oiled juggernaut. It was a culmination of a process that started seasons ago, with the right focus on talent scouting, identifying the core group of players and persisting with them, and providing the best infrastructure.
Their namesake in the footballing world have not yet replicated their success, but may well be on their way to make the city proud if the signs are anything to go by. Mumbai City FC have been one of the better teams in the ISL history but have almost always been stuck somewhere in the middle of the points table. Last year, too, they flattered to deceive, finishing fifth in the ten-team tournament.
CFG's entry a shot in the arm for Mumbai City
There was feverish excitement in the air after the world's most valuable football group - City Football Group (CFG) - acquired 65 per cent stakes in Mumbai City FC in November 2019.
The CFG, which is worth $4.8 billion, owns the Premier League giants, Manchester City, apart from seven other clubs around the world, including three in Asia. Ever since they took over Manchester City in 2008, the club has won four league championships, two FA Cups and four League Cups. Add to it, their sustainable youth development programme and world-class infrastructure. All the clubs that CFG owns have benefited massively from their inputs in training methods, medical care and sports science.
The overhaul
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic taking its toll on the finances of the ISL clubs, Mumbai City FC seemed to have been helped by the financial backing of the CFG. They have overhauled the squad, with focus on players who have been part of ISL and have done well. Some of their signings have left the other clubs wringing their hands in despair. For starters, they replaced Jorge Costa with former FC Goa coach Sergio Lobera, who transformed his earlier team into a ruthless attacking unit that even qualified for the AFC Champions League. And they did not stop at that – Mumbai City poached FC Goa's core group of players comprising Hugo Boumous (the most expensive transfer this season, at Rs 1.6 crore), Ahmed Jahouh and Mourtada Fall. Not to mention Lobera's support staff at FC Goa - assistant Jesus Tato and fitness and conditioning coach Manuel Sayabera – and Indian defenders Mandar Rao Desai and Amey Ranawade.
Mumbai City FC have also signed Spaniard Hernan Santana and English-Japanese Cy Goddard to bolster the midfield. They have retained the experienced Amrinder Singh as their goalkeeper, who kept four clean sheets and made 42 saves last season for Mumbai.
With midfield duties mainly resting on the able shoulders of Jahouh and Boumous, and Fall marshalling the defence, Lobera will have two experienced and brilliant strikers to choose from – Bartholomew Ogbeche, who has been on a goal-scoring spree over the past two seasons, with 27 goals, and Adam le Fondre, on loan from A-League side Sydney FC (he was the second top scorer with 20 goals in the 2019-20 season).
Mumbai City FC are not short of Indian talents either, with Desai, Sarthak Golui and promising youngster Mohamed Rakip in defence and the experienced Rowllin Borges in the midfield.
With a problem of plenty, the challenge for Mumbai City FC coach Lobera will be to find the right combination to do what he failed to achieve with his former team FC Goa in the past two seasons when they lost to Bengaluru FC in the final in 2018-19 season, and in 2019-20 when they lost in the semifinal on aggregate despite topping the points table.
Mumbai City FC will open their campaign against NorthEast United FC on November 21.