The former FC Barcelona youth coach worked in India for four seasons…
Sergio Lobera recently parted ways with Mumbai City FC after just one season as British coach Des Buckingham replaced the Spaniard at the helm. In just one season with the Islanders, Lobera won the club their maiden Indian Super League (ISL) League Winners’ Shield and the title.
The Spanish coach came to India in the 2017/18 season taking charge of FC Goa. In three seasons with the Gaurs, Lobera reached the play-offs in all the campaigns and topped the league stage once.
In the four years, he was in India, Lobera established himself as one of the finest foreign coaches to have ever managed an Indian club. As he has now left the country, we take a look at the top five achievements of Sergio Lobera in India.
What are the top five achievements of Sergio Lobera in India?
Most points as a coach in ISL
In the four seasons Lobera has managed in India, his sides managed to accumulate a total of 140 points the most for any coach in the history of the ISL. With FC Goa, Lobera had won 100 points in three seasons and Mumbai City last season got 40 points under his tutelage. It has to be noted that Lobera parted ways with Goa with one match to go in the league stage of the ISL 2019-20 season so the three points which Goa got against Hyderabad FC in their final fixture is not considered.
Only manager to reach four ISL play-offs back-to-back
Sergio Lobera is the only manager to reach the play-offs in ISL in back-to-back four seasons, thrice with FC Goa and once with Mumbai City. Antonio Habas too reached the play-off four times out of the five years he managed in India, thrice with ATK FC and once with ATK Mohun Bagan but it was not in consecutive years. With Pune City, he could not reach the play-offs.
Most successful Spanish coach in ISL and India
The 44-year-old is the most successful Spanish coach to have ever managed an Indian club. Lobera has won four titles, two (Super Cup 2019 and ISL 2019-20 League Winners’ Shield) with FC Goa and two (ISL 2020-21 League Winners’ Shield and ISL 2020-21 title) with Mumbai City FC.
Most goals scored under a manager
Sergio Lobera’s teams in the last four seasons of the ISL have managed to score a total of 170 goals – FC Goa (131) and Mumbai City (39). Once again it has to be noted that Lobera had parted ways with Goa with one match to go in the league stage of the ISL 2019-20 season so the four goals which Goa scored against Hyderabad FC in their final fixture is not considered. After Lobera, it is Habas’ teams who have scored the most goals in the ISL. ATK FC in four seasons scored 97 goals while ATK Mohun Bagan last season netted 32 goals which sum up to 129 goals.
Highest win percentage
Another record which Sergio Lobera achieved in the ISL is the highest win percentage. Lobera’s teams won 44 out of 81 matches he managed in the ISL in four seasons which is 54.32 per cent. While FC Goa won 31/58 matches, Mumbai City last season won 13 out of 23 games.
Second to Lobera in terms of win percentage is former Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat. The Blues won 24 out of 50 matches under the Spaniard’s tutelage with a win percentage of 48.
Source: Source: Goal
