ISL 2023-24: Best 11 of First Half Of The Season; Roy Krishna To Sahal Abdul Samad, Footballers Who Impressed Most

Add as a preferred source on Google

ISL 2023-24 season wrapped up its first half on Friday (December 29) and Mykhel takes a look at the best 11 players of the season so far. It has been an interesting battle to the top spot as the front four are just separated by four points.

With the likes of Kerala Blasters, FC Goa, Odisha FC, Mohun Bagan, and Mumbai City FC dominating the first half of the table, their players prominently feature in our Best 11 so far while the bottom pile has a gap to fill in the second half of the season.

Best 11 so far in ISL 2023-24

Goalkeeper: Sachin Suresh (KBFC)
Defenders: Jay Gupta (FCG), Sandesh Jhingan (FCG), Rostyn Griffiths (MCFC), Amey Ranawade (OFC)
Midfielders: Sahal Abdul Samad (MBSG), Ahmed Jahouh (OFC), Adrian Luna (KBFC), Liston Colaco (MBSG)
Forwards: Roy Krishna (OFC), Dimitrios Diamantakos (KBFC)

GK: Sachin Suresh (Kerala Blasters)

It was among the toughest choices to make as FC Goa's Arshdeep Singh Saini has conceded just five goals in 10 games while Odisha FC's Amrinder Singh made 31 saves but Kerala Blasters' Sachin Suresh stood up in big games and has made 26 saves, including 5 clean sheets and helped his side finish the year at the top.

Centre-backs: Sandesh Jhingan (FC Goa), Rostyn Griffiths (Mumbai City)

FC Goa defense has been the best in the business and Sandesh Jhingan's pairing with Odei Onaindia has stood out at the back while India's No. 1 centre-back has matched his Spanish partner in every facet of the game. Conceding just five goals was also the reason he made it ahead of compatriot Rahul Bheke.

Mumbai City's Rostyn Griffiths, on the other hand, has been a one-man army on occasion, including his stupendous show against FC Goa and East Bengal, helping him make the cut ahead of the likes of Mourtada Fall, Onaindia, Milos Drincic.

Full-backs: Jay Gupta (FC Goa), Amey Ranawade (Mumbai City FC)

Jay Gupta has been the find of the season as the FC Goa left-back's attacking prowess and ability to track back using his pace has made him one of the youngsters, who may break into the national team in the future. He made the cut ahead of MBSG's Subhasish Bose and KBFC's Naocha Singh, who equally deserve to be in the line-up.

Among the right-backs, Amey Ranawade has fit into the Odisha FC line-up from word go and his ability to overlap and provide telling crosses into the box has made him a potent attacking outlet for Sergio Lobera. The former Goa fullback made it ahead of MBSG's Asish Rai.

Midfielders: Ahmed Jahouh (Odisha FC) and Adrian Luna (Kerala Blasters)

It's hard to imagine the 11-match unbeaten run of Odisha FC without Ahmed Jahouh, who pulls the strings in midfield while his presence guarantees stranglehold over possession for Odisha FC. While often known to be the assister's assist, Jahouh had his direct moments in the game too, including two big goals against Mohun Bagan Super Giants in a draw.

Kerala Blasters are sitting at the top of the table but maintaining that place without Adrian Luna for probably the rest of the season. The creative and decisive Uruguayan footballer continued to lead from the front with three goals and four assists in nine games before he had to undergo arthroscopic surgery following a chondral knee injury on his left foot.

Midfielders: Liston Colaco and Sahal Abdul Samad (Mohun Bagan)

Mohun Bagan looked unstoppable at one point in the season with five wins in five games. However, all that changed when one injury after another weakened the squad's strength. This crucially includes Sahal Abdul Samad, who assisted four goals in six games before getting injured during their ISL match against Odisha FC. Before his signing, eyeballs were raised about how he and Hugo Boumous would fit in the same system but Sahal turned out to be a missing piece of puzzle in Juan Ferrando's line-up.

Liston Colaco, on the other hand, has been among the much-improved talent in the season and it has reflected him in finding a spot in the national team's starting 11 often. His ability to play as a winger and midfielder makes him a valuable addition both for his country and club.

Forwards: Dimitrios Diamantakos (Kerala Blasters) and Roy Krishna (Odisha FC)

Picking the forwards for the first half of the season couldn't have been easier. Strikers are given one job by the coach and that is to convert the chances provided to them into goals. Both Diamantakos and Roy Krishna have done it to perfection for their respective clubs.

Diamantakos especially has found the net this season with individual moments of his own when KBFC was struggling to unlock the rival's defense. His latest winning goal against Mohun Bagan is one such example.

Roy Krishna has been excellent at the job too, especially when he started off the season with Diego Mauricio as the first-choice striker of Odisha. However, once the Brazilian was out with an injury, Krishna grabbed the opportunity with both hands and made the No. 9 spot his own! During his 7 goals this season, the Fijian also became the third-highest goal scorer in ISL's all-time list while surpassing former FC Goa star Coro.