Punjab FC Eyes Playoffs Despite Challenges: A New Coach, New Tactics, and New Faces
By Naman Suri
As Punjab FC embarks on a new chapter under Panagiotis Dilmperis with limited resources, the club’s new tactical setup will be the focal point for fans and analysts alike.
The first team ever to be promoted into India’s top-tier football league, the Indian Super League (ISL), in 2023 after securing the I-league title for the 2022-23 season, will be looking to improve on their last season’s turbulent start and focus on becoming a consistent top-six side.
Although, securing a play-off spot will be much tougher this time around given the talent the team has parted with, while other playoff contenders significantly reinforced themselves.
North India’s club representative in the ISL, Punjab FC finished eighth in its debut season under the then-coach Staikos Vergetis. The team which plays its trade in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, had a sluggish start last season after failing to secure three points in the first ten rounds of the league.
The team even though finished in a respectable position in its debut season looked to be continuously punching above its weight and never comfortable.
However, the Shers were on the mend in the second half of the season securing 18 points. They ended the season with 24 points. Five of its six wins came in the second half of the season albeit they could only manage seven points from their last five fixtures costing them the playoff spot by three points.
The Revamp
This led the club to undergo a complete revamp, letting go of eleven players including instrumental foreign players Madih Talal, Juan Mera, Wilmar Jordan Gill and Dimitrios Chatziisaias.
Attacking midfielder Talal was a force to be reckoned with last season having involvement in 16 of the team’s 28 goals - comprising six goals and 10 assists. Talal was pivotal in the team’s recuperation in the second half of the season, ending as the leading assist provider. In fact, he is the first after Greg Stewart in 2021-22 to rake in assists in double-digits in a single season.
However, the Frenchman will now carry out his business for East Bengal FC. Even Jordan, who was the club’s joint-top scorer (8) with Luka Majcen, left the club for Chennaiyin FC.
Under Vergetis the team scored 28 goals in its first ISL season by meticulously deploying the 4-3-3 formation with an emphasis on tactical discipline. Nevertheless, the team went on to concede 35 goals in the league, the third-highest goals against during the season.
Considering the consistent defensive vulnerabilities and the team’s struggles to adapt itself to the new environment in the league, Punjab FC’s management brought in a new Greek coach for the 2024-25 season Panagiotis Dilmperis. The goalkeeper-turned-coach boasts a significant coaching experience of 15 years with a UEFA license A. This will be his first Asian club.
Dilmperis will be supported by Konstantinos Katsaras as assistant coach and Papaioannou Ioannis as the strength and conditioning coach. The Greek head coach with an impressive managerial and player record will be looking forward to the challenges in the new country while aiming to make a mark in the ISL.
And the management seems eager to align with the coach's strategy to propel the team to a stronger position in the league standings.
In light of this, the team has also added the likes of Vinit Rai, Filip Mrzljak, and Ezequiel Vidal injecting experience to a severely depreciated midfield. Vinit Rai is joining the side after a three-year stint with Mumbai City FC where he effectively contributed to the team’s success in winning the ISL Shield title, Durand Cup, and ISL Cup.
Filip Mrzljak, a box-to-box Croatian midfielder joins the club from HNK Gorcia, a Croatian Division 1 side and brings with him the experience and exposure of playing in the European club competition of the Europa League with NK Lokomotiva and Dinamo Zagreb. Ezequiel Vidal, another little Argentine, who banks on his agility due to the low centre of gravity will be a key component in Punjab’s quest for a playoff spot this season.
Punjab’s new coach will be heading a pretty young team with an average age of 24.2 years.
Tactics on display
During the season-opener, the Durand Cup, Dilmperis already showed promise by helping the club secure its first victory in the competition whilst reaching the quarterfinals. The club lost to last season’s shield winners and eventual Durand Cup runner-ups, Mohun Bagan SG on penalties.
Even with new additions, during their outings in the Durand Cup, the team looked weak at the back, failing to manage crosses coming into the box and therefore conceding without an answer. However, the new coach made sure to bring up and utilize young talents like Nihal Sudeesh and Ashis Pradhan.
The coach, however, during the media day pointed out that the team had played only 30% of their full potential in the recently concluded Durand Cup.
“I believe time is on our side, and by the start of the season, we will be ready to show something different compared to previous seasons, along with a unique playing style,” he was quoted as saying.
Irrespective, Dilmperis’ task at his new club will be concentrated on getting defensive solidity along with offensive creativity through the 4-2-3-1 formation which contrasts with Vergitis’ tactics which are heavily focused on attacking plays.
He favours the formation because of his familiarity with it as the proposition is to deploy a much more balanced approach that will provide a strategic shift to defensive stability while maintaining offensive versatility. The new coach is renowned for developing young talent to ensure a well-rounded and robust performance in the new season.
Although Vergetis brought in an exciting and dynamic style of play under his stewardship, helping the club win both the I-League and securing the first-ever promotion to ISL, they lacked cohesiveness in the back.
Regardless, Vergetis banked on a scrupulous and demanding set of tactics requiring teamwork and effective communication with each player comprehending the roles assigned to them while actively contributing to the team’s success.
The former coach, in fact, had additions to his side in the middle of the season along with a few tactical changes to make his side more dangerous going forward. He provided the liberty to Talal, his star creator, to move freely across the pitch when attacking, allowing them to avoid man-marking and become a bit more dangerous up front.
With Talal now gone, it will be on Dilmperis' wealth of tactical understanding and managerial discipline to help the club move on from Vergitis and accustoms itself to top-tier football despite a lack of depth in terms of first-team quality. In spite of all the new additions, the team might struggle to muster a strong playing XI each week and lack that extra bit of firepower.
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