After a disappointing last season, there has been a major revamp in the Bengaluru FC squad which started with the arrival of the new gaffer Marco Pezzaiuoli from Germany. Following this, Bengaluru FC parted ways with all foreigners except Cleiton Silva in a major squad overhaul. Bengaluru FC soon signed a number of foreigners, most notable among them being Alan Costa and Prince Ibara. Musavu King, who was signed on a short-term contract ahead of their AFC cup qualification round, was also handed a contract extension. Alan Costa comes from Brazilian football club Avai while Musavu King comes from a stint at Le Mans- a French football club and Prince Ibara comes from Ligue 2 side Chateauruox. Go through the entire article to know the role of these newly signed players.
Style of play
Marco Pezzaiuoli as a German coach likes to play classic German football, where players press with intensity; have to keep possession, and have to attack in a very aggressive manner. The full – backs or wing – backs are the ones who are going to be crucial during the offensive part of the game. This time BFC’s style of play is going to be new and unique. Bengaluru FC has signed players who can fit in Marco’s setup, players who are at their best fitness levels and comfortable with the ball.
Why they were signed?
1. Alan Costa
Bengaluru FC signed Alan Costa as a replacement for the experienced center -back, Juan Gonzalez. He is a centre-back who is comfortable with the ball and at the same time rock – solid defensively. He is going to play a major role in initiating counter attack in Marco’s setup, supplying through balls to the full – backs making those runs up the flanks. When it comes to the defensive part, his speed and accuracy in one on one situations can help the team defend counter – attacks. He is not a rash defender and remains calm during tough situations. He is dominant in the air as a result of which wins most of his aerial duels. He is therefore going to be a major asset to Bengaluru in set-pieces. Considering all these qualities of Alan Costa, it may be safe to assume that he can step into the heavy boots of club legend Juanan.
2.Yrondu Musavu-King
Yrondu Musavu-King joined the blues ahead of their AFC cup qualification round. King brings in a wealth of experience from France where he played for Caen in Ligue 1 alongside Champions League and World Cup winner N’golo Kante and has all the qualities to succeed at Bengaluru FC. He is also a ball-playing defender like Costa. King is a technical defender and can trackback well when the team is committed forward. He also likes taking long-range shots and has pretty good accuracy in it as seen many times earlier. Standing at 6’1 feet, he’s good at heading the ball, so he is going to be an asset in set – pieces just like Costa. As a senior player, he will also play the role of a leader in the dressing room and will have a major influence on the young players particularly defenders. He is vocal on the pitch and will be leading the Bengaluru defence this season. King will be a huge influence on and off the field for Bengaluru.
3. Prince Ibara
One of the major areas of concern last season for Bengaluru was their attack. Goals were not coming for them easily and now they have tried to amend that area by adding firepower to their forward line in Bidyashagar Singh, Harmanpreet Singh . Among them is Congolese striker Prince Ibara. He has the experience of playing in different countries of Europe alongside Asia as well. He has played for Qatari club Al-Wakrah and scored a solitary goal out of 9 games. He is a goal poacher who has good offensive awareness. He is a speedy striker with a lot of pace and also contributes defensively making important interceptions. He is a young striker who is just 25 years old and can perfectly fit into the system of Marco.
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