All teams except NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) and Jamshedpur FC, who have played the ISL (Indian Super League) only once, have made it to the play-offs at least once.
NEUFC's recruitment when it comes to Indian players have been very poor in the four seasons so far with no name apart from Rowllin Borges making an impact. As far as their foreign contingent is concerned, they continue to sign players who are unfamiliar with Indian conditions; a ploy which has been a hit-and-miss so far.
But there has been some semblance of continuity in the coaching department as Eelco Schattorie has been promoted to the position of a head coach from his erstwhile position as an assistant. Avram Grant has joined Panathinaikos as the CEO and it remains to be seen how he will influence the team. Arthur Papas has joined as an assistant coach and his experience will be counted upon by Schattorie.
But Schattorie did not exude confidence on his team's chances to reach the play-offs this time around, claiming that the team lacked quality.
"I like to attack and dominate. But to dominate, you must have quality. You cannot convert a Mini Cooper into a Ferrari. You have to look at the quality and then fit it into a system. My intention is always to win. But you have to keep in mind the quality as well," said the Dutch tactician.
So it seems that the coach is not confident that his team has enough firepower. He also made it absolutely clear that he is 'under pressure' to deliver something at a club which is yet to reach the play-offs. He pointed out that his players are young and inexperienced.
"Young players follow a trajectory where they are inconsistent. It is a huge task to bring consistency with young players. But you don't get much time. If you lose a few times, then there is pressure. So far, all the signings that we have made including the overseas ones are growing together as a team. What happens on the field is a process. Since I am in India, I would like to give an example.
"The Taj Mahal was not built in a day and if you want to build something, it takes time. We will work together to make the best out of the season," added Schattorie.
The above statements highlight that Schattorie knows that the aim to achieve a top-four finish is an uphill task.
Moreover, while other ISL teams have played a number of matches against quality opponents in their respective pre-season tours, NEUFC have managed to play only two games till now. In their first encounter, they lost 1-0 to I-League runners-up NEROCA whereas in their second match against minnows NBP Rainbow AC, they won 4-0.
A fragmented pre-season has made it more difficult for Schattorie to find the right combination which prompted him to say, "A good pre-season is important. But in India, it is different. Some players arrive late. But for us now, I am still assessing."
With less than 10 days to go for their first match against FC Goa on October 1, this statement underlines that a significant amount of work is still left to be done.
Although the team did make adjustments to their playing style since Schattorie and Co. took charge in January, they have not been able to convert them into points. They collected only four point from a possible 30 in the latter half of last season.
With their backs already on the wall, only time will tell whether NEUFC can turn their sagging fortunes around and qualify for the knock-out stages. Or they might just live up to their perennial underachiever tag.