Season opener thread *sigh*, here we go.
KBFC came into this game having played more friendlies than ATKMB, which would have been a great advantage for them. Interestingly, they dropped Nishu for Prasanth.
ATKMB on the other hand started Edu over Williams. The rest was expected

Build-up:
KBFC
-Vicente Gomez dropping deep, Cido right in front of him. -Full-backs go higher up

By creating a 3v2 in defense against Krishna and Edu, there was no issue in facing a high press, and ATKMB didn't bother pressing the CBs much either

Their main aim was to block out the midfield, and they did that to perfection.
Pronay revolved around Sahal, and Javi tended to take on Cido. By cutting out these lanes with the help of Krishna and Edu, they were able to restrict KBFC's vertical passing.

This forced KBFC to go wide, mostly through the right in the first half. This is exactly what Habas wanted. They left Prasanth open so that the defense would circulate it to him, which was the trigger for their pressing trap. The forwards, midfielders and the LWB would stifle him

Since Rithwik wasn't playing wide, he was easily taken up by McHugh. This allowed Subhasish to challenge Prasanth up front while the rest of his team-mates blocked out passing options.

Turn-overs in these situations benefited the Mariners as they could either play it directly to a goal-bound forward or switch play to release Prabir on the other side, who would whip in crosses.

Overall, the first half was an understandably cagey affair. Apart from Kone's mispass to Krishna, nothing exciting cropped up.

In the second half, both teams came in with some tweaks. KBFC used the right a lot less this time, as they were aware of the pressing trap. Regardless, the midfield block was almost impenetrable. ATKMB were also adept at winning second balls. Look at how many are around the ball

Sahal tried to come deeper to escape his marker, but ATKMB were extremely compact, and there was little he could do. His aimless dribbling and inability to release a team-mate didn't help the case either.

They ended up trying an innovative solution wherein Jessel came narrower, and was allowed to charge ahead since the midfielders would not rush onto him. This created a 2v1 which offered some central penetration,

Moving on to the goal, this said a good amount about ATKMB's chances tonight. Apart from them capitalizing on turnovers or going long, they had lesser creativity in them as compared to KBFC. But again, this is a part of their play-style.

It started here, when a backwards header landed between Kone and Costa. You can see Gomez beckoning and asking his defenders to clear the ball. Costa is going for it but given his body orientation and proximity, I think Kone should have charged instead.

Krishna got the ball, and passed it out wide. Not very threatening, its in a wide area and Kerala have a good number of men behind...

Fatal error - Kone gave him too much space. While the threat should have been nipped in the bud and cleared out, it ended up worsening. Now, Bose(?) has enough space and is at a favorable angle to play the ball in. Still, not many attackers in the box, Kerala could manage.

After a poor pass, and an even poor attempt at clearing, the ball fell between 4 KBFC defenders. Again, Prasanth and Kone caught ball watching. Krishna took his opportunity and rifled it home. Dealbreaker.

Given how Kerala were already struggling to create, this goal dented their hopes of winning. Not much went in their favour after this. The few chances they got by playing the ball off of Hooper lacked end product and were easily dealt with by ATKMB.

First game so I wouldn't be too critical but here are some talking points for either teams:
- Vicente extremely important for possession and recycling
-Facundo needed between the lines, Sahal still unready?
-Kone looking dull, and lacks speed
-Costa great defender
-Puitea on LW?

ATKMB:
-Will they miss Soosai's creativity?
-Manvir drifting wide with Edu and Javi attacking channels

I also want to see more of that inverted full-back style progression KBFC did with Jessel. I have a feeling that could unravel something.

That's all for tonight, will do another one tomorrow if time permits. Likes, shares and feedback always appreciated. Would love to hear your thoughts.