ISL 2020-21 – The year 2020 was difficult for the players. Bio bubbles, staying away from family for a long period, and playing without a proper pre-season had been a huge challenge for all the players. Even with these difficulties, we saw some scintillating displays from many players, while some underperformed compared to the buzz surrounding them. So here’s a list of the top five players who failed to live up to the expectations of fans in the ISL 2020-21.
5. Gary Hooper
The former Celtic and Norwich City forward came to the Hero ISL burdened with a truckload of expectations from the KBFC fans. The top scorer of Norwich in the 2013-14 Premier League was hailed as one of the 20-21 season’s biggest signings. But it didn’t take long for the move to turn out to be a failure as the English star failed to make an impact in the ISL. After 18 games, the Englishman only scored 5 goals, out of which 2 were penalties, and contributed with 4 assists, which was quite low as compared to the star players of other teams.
4. Anthony Pilkington
The Irish international came to the Indian Super League with lots of experience. For three seasons, Pilkington was an integral member of Norwich City’s first-team before they got relegated. After Wigan Athletic was relegated to division two in 2021, Pilkington made the switch to East Bengal to play under Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler. However, what followed was a disastrous campaign for the Irishman. He struggled to adapt to Robbie Fowler’s philosophy and after 17 games, the attacking midfielder managed a mere 3 assists and 3 goals. His poor performances were further evident from the fact that he completed only 13 key passes while creating just 16 chances throughout the season.