ISL 2016: Atletico de Kolkata's individual errors return to haunt them in Kerala Blasters draw

Atletico de Kolkata qualified for the semi-finals of the Indian Super League (ISL) for the third consecutive season with a 1-1 draw against the Kerala Blasters FC at Kolkata’s Rabindra Sarobar Stadium. On a day when football fans across the world were reeling from the shocking news of almost the entire ACF Chapecoense team, a Brazilian club en route to the Copa Sudamericana finals, succumbing to a tragic plane crash, Jose Molina’s side showcased a performance true to their home form. [caption id=“attachment_3131622” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Pearson’s (C) redefined role in midfield which has been at the heart of Atletico’s resurgence. ISL[/caption] Atletico went into the game with only one change in their starting eleven - Iain Hume replacing Juan Belencoso. Kerala coach Steve Coppell, however, was forced to change the winning combination from Kerala’s previous match due to a couple of injuries on matchday morning. Here are the talking points from Atletico’s seventh draw of the season: Individual error costs Atletico points once again Defensive mistakes have been Atletico’s Achilles’ heel for the entire duration of the tournament - on Tuesday, the faux pas came from an unlikely source. Debjit Majumder, who has otherwise been stellar under the bars, had a poor game. The 28-year-old misjudged the flight of the ball and rushed out from his line to catch a deep cross which was going out for a goal kick. He fumbled the catch and Cedric Hengbert promptly pounced on the loose ball, directing it towards CK Vineeth who headed into an open net. Kerala Blasters had broken the deadlock on the eighth minute and Atletico had the tough task of chasing the game against a side which has been relatively frugal, their away match against Mumbai City FC being the only exception. It wasn’t the only blemish in Majumder’s performance with the custodian failing to collect yet another routine catch a few minutes later. The Altetico goalkeeper looked tentative for the better part of the 90 minutes, never commanding the box with his usual authority. Molina has repeatedly insisted how his team is “working on ironing out the defensive errors” behind the scenes and that the lapses in concentration were anything but minor anomalies; but the results have indicated otherwise. Helder Postiga is the key to this Atletico attack Javier Lara’s playmaking abilities and Abinash Ruidas’ pace on the left flank is at the forefront of Atletico’s offensive manoeuvres, but it is Postiga’s movement within the channels and excellent link up play which provide Molina’s side the much-needed cutting edge. Against Kerala Blasters, Postiga’s natural gameplay was stifled as the Portuguese did not have much space to work his magic. Yet, Atletico’s marquee player created the equaliser in an all-round brilliant display of football from the home side. After linking up with Hume to play a clever one-two, Postiga’s final ball into the 18-yard box took the entire Kerala backline (which had held its compact shape until then) out of contention, allowing Stephen Pearson the perfect opportunity to get on the scoresheet. “Our shape was a bit lopsided, but again looking at the way Kolkata played, we had an extra man in midfield just to try and cramp the areas for Postiga as he himself can change the game and we managed to do that successfully,” Coppell said, admitting that the visitors had a plan for Postiga, which they almost carried out to perfection. Stephen Pearson’s redefined role Pearson scored his second goal in as many games to guide the former champions towards a last four berth and it is his redefined role in midfield which has been at the heart of Atletico’s resurgence while going forward. Ever since their 1-2 loss to FC Pune City, Molina has orchestrated subtle changes in how Atletico lines up in a bid to rejig their formation and Pearson’s skillset has been fundamental to that tactical shift. The Scotsman is not only an astute midfielder from the technical perspective, but has a tendency to pop up in spaces left behind by the opposition defence. Pearson’s proficiency in making late runs into the penalty area and accuracy in front of the goal (seven of his nine shots in the last four matches were on target) has added another dimension to Atletico’s star-studded attack, especially when the likes of Hume and Postiga draw away the centre halves. A draw was the ideal result for both clubs when it comes to qualification for the knockouts, which was evident when both clubs opted for the cautious path and shut up shop to avoid conceding any further goals. While it made for insipid viewing in the second half for the 12,000-strong crowd, the pragmatic approach by both managers knocked Chennaiyin FC and FC Pune City out of contention for the semi-finals. Speaking to Firstpost after the game, regarding his aspirations from Atletico’s last group match, an exuberant Molina opined, “I am really happy to have qualified for the semi-finals as it was our first aim. We tried to win today but we knew one point would be enough for us to qualify, and we now have a game against Pune and we will try to win against them too, and we will give some new players an opportunity to play and we will give a bit of rest to some players who have featured in a lot of matches.”