Hyderabad FC's best finish in ISL: Last in ISL 2019-20
Other Trophies: None
Hyderabad FC coach: Manuel Roca
Hyderabad FC made their Indian Super League debut only in the last season, replacing the now-defunct Pune City FC. However, things didn't go that well for them as they finished right at the bottom of the table.
Coach Phil Brown parted ways with the club midway into the season too. It was Mehrajuddin Wadoo who took over as the caretaker of the team for one match before assistant coach Xavier Gurri Lopez was announced as the interim coach. After the season, Albert Roca took over as the head coach of the club but he left once he got an offer to work as the fitness coach at FC Barcelona.
It was another Spaniard, Manuel Roca, who was announced as the head coach of the club after that, and he will be eager to turn the club's fortunes around this season.
How did Hyderabad FC fare in the last ISL season?
Hyderabad won just two out of their 18 ISL matches in the 2019-20 season and the reason behind their woes was their failure in both offence and defence. Not only did they concede 39 goals - the most among all teams - but scored the second least number of goals (21) as well. There was hardly any contribution to the club apart from Marcelinho and Bobo, who scored 12 goals between them.
However, they did unearth a talented youngster in Liston Colaco towards the end of the season. He featured in seven games for Hyderabad and netted two goals. Colaco showed pace, flair and skills to beat defenders at will and he will be looking to improve further in this edition.
Hyderabad FC squad for ISL 2020-21 season
Hyderabad FC have undergone a huge revamp ahead of this season. They released as many as 18 players from their roster, which includes their top scorers -- Marcelinho and Bobo -- from last season as well. However, they have replaced them with new signings that are just as good to lead their charge in this edition.
The main highlight among their acquisitions in the transfer window that concluded last month is the arrival of Aridane Santana. He was Odisha FC's top scorer last season, with a total of nine goals and two assists to his name. To boost their offence further, Roca has also brought Spanish forward Fran Sandaza from Alcoron (Spanish Secunda division club) and Australian winger Joel Chianese from A-League club Perth Glory as well. Apart from them, midfielder Lluis Sastre from AEK Larnaca and defender Odei Onaindia from CD Mirandes are other notable signings.
As far as the Indian contingent goes, Halicharan Narzary from Kerala Blasters, Subrata Paul from Jamshedpur FC and Lalawmpuia from FC Goa are other notable acquisitions. They bring some much-needed experience and class to Hyderabad. If properly used, these three can prove to be vital assets for the club.
All in all, the offensive line with players like Santana, Chianese, Narzary and Sandaza looks pretty good. But the defence still looks pretty inexperienced and that might hurt the club's chances this season.
Goalkeepers: Subrata Pal, Lalbiakhlua Jongte, Laxmikant Kattimani, Manas Dubey
Defenders: Chinglensana Singh, Mohammad Yasir, Dimple Bhagat, Odei Onaindia, Nikhil Prabhi, Souvik Chakrabarti, Kynsailang Khongsit, Akash Mishra, Sahil Panwar, Ashish Rai
Midfielders: Adil Khan, LLuis Sastre, Sahil Tavora, Laldanmawia Ralte, Hitesh Sharma, Sweden Fernandes, Mark Zothanpuia, Joao Victor
Forwards: Joel Chianese, Aridane Santana, Abhishek Halder, Liston Colaco, Halicharan Narzary, Lalawmpuia, Francisco Sandaza, Rohit Danu, Nikhil Poojari, Ishan Dey
Hyderabad FC predictions for 2020-21 season
Barring a few players, the entire roster of Hyderabad FC is pretty new. Most of the overseas players will be playing their first season in the league and that's why they will need time to settle down as well. Choosing the best XI will be a challenge for Roca too, as there hasn't been much preparation time due to the various pandemic-related restrictions. So, expecting the club to make it to the knockout stages will be a bit too much to demand. However, they have the resources to fare better than last time and hence, a mid-table finish this time won't be a bad result to set things up nicely for the next season.
