I never wanted to exercise during the long Indian summers, but I’m not a professional football player. So, let’s catch up with men who were paid to be in good shape and play well: Punjab Football Club.
Match Results: 7 W – 3 D – 5 L; GF 29/ GA 21
The fall of 2023 was a clear step up for the Shers (big cats…like Lions…but…I’m gonna keep saying Tigers). Throughout their first four months in the Indian Super League, Punjab did not play like the team of old. Try as Luka Macjen might he could not be everywhere on the field and the team looked like it would be heading for an ignominous end to a splendid opportunity.
Then came the new year, and French born Madih Talal joined the club immediately exploding with assists and inventive play. Almost instantly the squad doubled their prior win total, and before the season ended they came away with 5 wins in 11 matches, after just 1 in their first 14.
Though the team finished outside of the playoff spots, their huge improvement led to a much needed boost in confidence and set them up for another run. Though Talal and old standby Juan Mera left the team, Luka Macjen returned to be the club’s talisman and buoyed the squad to a tremendous showing in the Durand Cup. (Last year as their first taste of top tier soccer, the Shers looked outclassed: this year they won their group handily, before bowing out to bogey team Mohun Bagun in a penalty shoot out.)
Other Stories:
As mentioned above, the Sher’s said a lot of goodbyes at the end of last season. Rather than recap them, here’s the team’s Instagram goodbye
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Punjab also shuffled their coaching staff, but kept things Greek bringing in Panagiotos Dilmperis to lead the squad. And in a moment that just tickles my personal fancy, they also signed Mushaga Bakenga who was formerly in the EliteSerien and started his career with Rosenborg Ball Klub, making him the (I think) second player to wear the kit for two of our favorite eleven teams!
Star Players:
It’s no great surprise that Luka Macjen is at the top of this list…he is talismanic to the point of being Punjab’s most bankable (and memeable asset)
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We also want to shout out the obviously impressive Juan Mera, and the supremely influential Madih Talal but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the defensive stalwart Nikhil Prabhu.
MacKenzie's Boot Room 