Mohun Bagan captain Baichung Bhutia yesterday got Mother Teresa International Award for his success while representing India. “All India Minority Forum and Weaker Section” selects celebrity from different fields for this award. Baichung is the first footballer to receive this award. Baichung said, “The award has the name of Mother Teresa in it, I am very much honored to get this.” Meanwhile, team will resume practice tomorrow at 8.30 am in morning. Mohun Bagan will play against Vasco on April 2nd at Barasat Stadium.

Mohun Bagan lost 2 vital points today against JCT and the match ended 1-1. Manju converted a Marcos corner to a goal in the 10th Min but an unfortunate mishap in the form of Rahul Kumar own goal at 80th min made it 1-1. This means Bagan will not only have to win their 3 matches in a row but will also have to wait for Mohammedan to take 2 points from Churchill in their last match.

Manju had a great game having scored one goal and made one goal line save. Ishfaq missed a very easy chance. Rakesh Masih centered from right, which Baichung foxed one JCT player and ball went to Ishfaq in open who shot wide from close distance. He chose to shot the ball in first post, but it would have been better if he chose the far corner of the post.

Mohun Bagan missed few easy chances to score, Baichung, Barreto and Ishfaq missed the chances. Rahul Kumar played very well in right half but unfortunately he was involved in the goal that Mariners conceded. Mohun Bagan went ahead in 10th minute when from a Marcos short corner, Tulunga crossed the ball in box and the ball deflected off a JCT player to Manju who capitalized on the chance and scored via his left foot, a brilliant opportunistic goal. JCT also got their chances but one attempt of Edu hit the bar post and Manju made a goal line save. In the fag end of the match, Barreto’s head hit bar post and Baichung’s head was cleared from goal line. Ishfaq was adjudged Man of the Match.

Mohun Bagan conceded the goal in late 2nd half, the right half of JCT went past Dipak and centered the ball which deflected off Rahul and went inside goal. Rahul was marking the JCT striker and in order to clear the ball went for a slide but unfortunately the ball hit him and went inside goal.

After match Karim said, "I am disappointed that Mohun Bagan lost the match. My anguish increased after getting to know that Churchill has lost 2 points. The match was a 50-50 match, any team could have won the match. Both of the teams created chances and could not score. It is hard luck that at the last moment our effort came off post. About Rahul, I can say that he had a great game but very unfortunately he was involved with the only goal that Mariners conceded."

SQUAD: Sangram, Rahul, Odafe, Manju, Dipak (Mohanraj), Tulunga (James Singh Sr.), Masih (Branco), Marcos, Ishfaq, Bhaichung and  Barreto.

COURTESY: HARIDAS GHOSH

Mohun Bagan will play against JCT tomorrow in an important I league match to be held in Ludhiana from 3.30 pm. This is a must win situation for Mohun Bagan. Odafe will be back in the team after missing Chirag match as he was suspended due to receiving double yellow card.

The 18 member team that will be going to Ludhiana is as follows: Sangram, Habibur, Dipak, Manju, Odafe, Barreto, Ishfaq, Bhaichung, Tulunga, Rakesh, Mohanraj, Marcos, Branco, James Singh Jr., Rahul, Lalramluaha, Shilton and Lalkamal Bhowmick.

Expected first team is Sangram, Habibur, Odafe, Manju, Dipak, James Sr., Rakesh, Marcos, Ishfaq, Baichung, Barreto. JCT midfielder Baljit Sahni will miss tomorrow’s match due to double yellow suspension.

Dipak will be back to left back position as Mohanraj did not play well in last match. Lalampuia did not accompany team to Ludhiana due to hamstring injury. Before leaving Kolkata, Karim said, "JCT is a good team. I league is in a crucial juncture now, few times are fighting for championship and at the bottom of the table few teams are fighting relegation. Still upsets can happen. We are concentrating on our game and will try our best and then see what happens. We have four matches left, we will have to win all the matches."

Meanwhile, in an important match in Mumbai, Churchill Brothers will play against Air India. Mohun Bagan will hope that Air India manage to end the good run of Churchill tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s match will not be telecast live by Zee sports, you can see live update here in www.mohunbaganclub.com

Mohun Bagan beat Chirag United 2-1 today in their 18th round I league match, Baichung scored both the goals for Mariners. Mohun Bagan could not play well in first half but regained control after lemon break. Mohun Bagan will play next againt JCT on March 28th in Ludhiana. Mohun Bagan now has 36 points from 18 matches.

Mohun Bagan beat Chirag United 2-1 today in their 18th round I league match, Baichung scored both the goals for Mariners. Mohun Bagan could not play well in first half but regained control after lemon break.

 In the 1st minute itself, Mohun Bagan got a free kick near the half line. Marcos took the shot that went inside box which Baichung headed towards Barreto but it was cleared for safety by Chirag defence. The two side backs of Mohun Bagan, Habibur and Mohanraj were clearly off-form today and fleet-footed Snehasish and Gouranga looked to pile pressure down the flanks and often delivered good crosses. In 7th minute, Chirag got the first chance when Gouranga crossed from right side and Snehasish could not head the ball properly. Within 2 minutes, from counter attack, Manju made a down the middle run and gave a through pass to Baichung but Arnab Mandal made a timely tackle to avert danger. Chirag had greater possession of ball till 30th minute but Dipak had a great match in defence and foiled many Chirag attacks. Sangram though did not have to make any good saves. In 30th minute, Barreto took a center from right side which Baichung tried to take a shot but it was cleared by defence, ball went to Ishfaq in left flank who floated the ball towards goal, Louis headed the ball and it ballooned up and went to Rakesh who was standing at the edge of the box. Rakesh let fly a pile driver which was going in but unluckily for Mariners it hit a defender and deflected off for corner. Marcos took the corner which came to Tulunga who harmlessly lobbed the ball that went straight to goalkeeper. Within 3 minutes, Habibur took a center from right side, Tulunga back headed the ball towards Barreto but he could not get position to take the shot inside box, Ishfaq passed the ball to Marcos but he took a very poor shot that went straight to goalkeeper. In an attempt to clear the ball, Louis almost conceded an own goal. Chirag got a good chance in 38th minute. Gouranga was again in thick of action when his left footed center went towards Saini but Manju made a brilliant clearance. Mohun Bagan scored the first goal of the match in 44th minute. Marcos and Ishfaq took the short corner and off Marcos center, Baichung headed the ball (see picture below) which deflected off Arnab Mandal’s leg and went inside goal.  Mariners came back strongly in the match after the initial domination of proceedings by Chirag and went into lemon break 1-0 up.

                                                  BAICHUNG SCORING THE FIRST GOAL FOR MOHUN BAGAN

After the change of ends, Snehasish made a good run but his center was cleared by Dipak for safety in 50th minute. In 56th minute, from Baichung the ball went to Tulunga via Marcos in right side but his center was nicely intercepted by Chirag defence. Bhaichung Bhutia then sent in a throughball for Barreto who made an angular run from right to left and his shot just missed target, going over crossbar. In 68th minute, Marcos took a corner that was headed out by Louis, the loose ball went to Mohanraj outside box, his thumping shot was saved by Ravikanta stretching to left side. In the next minute, Gouranga made a solo effort by dribbling past 2 players but his shot went wide. In 73rd minute, Barreto released the ball for Baichung who took the ball inside box and from an acute angle tried to place the ball in far corner, but goalkeeper made a good save diving towards right. In 76th minute, Chirag missed the easiest chance of the match when Mohanraj made a grave error and his clearance went straight to Sankar Oraon, who shot the ball soaring over the bar with goalkeeper at his mercy. Chirag equalized in 78th minute, when from a long ball, Sankar backheaded towards Snehasish, Habibur failed to clear the ball and Snehasish took a left footed shot that beat goalkeeper and went to far corner of post making the scoreline 1-1. Mohun Bagan made it 2-1 in the next minute itself. They got a free kick when Barreto was fouled. Marcos again took a neat free kick that swerved and went to Baichung who headed the ball to perfection and the goalkeeper had absolutely no chance whatsoever to save the ball, score became 2-1 in favor of Mohun Bagan. In 85th minute, Baichung scored another goal, this time the goal was even better than the last one, he spot jumped over his defender and headed the ball in off a Rakesh center but linesman, for reason better known to him, raised the flag and disallowed a certain goal. Television replay suggested that it was a clear goal. In injury time, Chirag got their last chance when they got a direct free kick just outside the box, but Gouranga’s shot hit the wall.

 ISHFAQ FOULED BY GOUTAM DEBNATH

Mohun Bagan thus emerged winners and now has 36 points from 18 matches. Churchill is leading the table with 42 points from 20 matches. Mohun Bagan will next play against JCT on March 28th. They will have to win their remaining 4 matches and hope that Churchill lose point either against Air India or Mohammedan Sporting. Most importantly, none of Mohun Bagan players have got any booking today.

Sangram looked confident throughout the match and did not have to make any good save. In defence, Dipak was in supreme form today in stopper position, well supported by Manju. Mohanraj and Habibur both were shaky today and made far too many mistakes. Habibur can be partly blamed for the goal which Mariners conceded. Mohanraj though delivered few good long throws and delivered few good crosses but while defending he hardly could contain Gouranga. In first half, midfield lacked confidence and there were hardly any attacks till 30th minute, though in the second half Marcos and Masih played well. Tulunga made many mistakes before lemon break and was giving too many back passes but agains after change of ends he gathered momentum and made some good runs down the flank causing panic in Chirag defence. Ishfaq tried a lot but was not in his best of form today, but you cannot rule him out, given the amount of hard work he puts. Though many critics had criticized Baichung for attending a reality show, he showed his class by scoring two goals and scored another goal which was by mistake ruled out by linesman. It should now be clear to them that with the experience that Baichung has, missing practice once a week for 2 hours does not have any impact on his game. Recovering from injury, Barreto showed his class when he attempted a left footed shot that just missed target in 2nd half.

Talking to us after match, Karim said, "Chirag is definitely a good team, it is surprising that they are at the bottom side of table, they deserve a position somewhere in the middle. They played well today. Another important factor is that, we had lost 4 matches in a row, our confidence was down, so in first half we could not play to our potential. We made many mistakes in this half. However, we came back strongly in 2nd half and created chances, scored and won the match. We badly wanted to win this match. This will bring confidence back to our team. Now we have to win the rest of the matches. Still we are in the title race. We have seen many times in various leagues that a team can make mistake near the final round and many upset can happen. We will just have to concentrate on our game and win the remaining 4 matches."

TEAM: Sangram, Habibur (Rahul Kumar 81), Manju, Dipak, Mohanraj, Tulunga (James Singh Jr. 90+2), Masih, Marcos, Ishfaq, Barreto (Lalkamal 86), Baichung.

Mohun Bagan will meet Chirag tomorrow in an important I league match to be played in Barasat Stadium from 6.30 pm. Mohun Bagan has lost their last two I league matches and they are in a must win situation in their 5 remaining matches of I league. Not only will Mariners have to win the matches but will have to hope that Churchill lose points against either Air India or Mohammedan. Jose Barreto will be back in team after missing 2 AFC cup matches due to injury.

Mohun Bagan had their practice session in afternoon today. In practice the first team was as follows: Sangram, Mohanraj, Dipak, Manju, Habibur, Ishfaq, Masih, Marcos, Tulunga, Baichung and Barreto. After practice, coach Karim Bencharifa said, "We are not thinking of what other teams are doing. We will have to win the next 5 matches. This season so far has been quite successful for Mohun Bagan and has been the most successful season after 2002 and also for any Kolkata clubs after 2005." Rahul Kumar said, "Still many upsets can happen, we will have to concentrate on our game and win the next five matches, then we will see where we finish."

McDowell Mohun Bagan has had a fair share of ups and downs on the ONGC I-League 2008-09. They started off at a very depressing note with loses and draws at the initial stages and in fact were able to only muster three points from the first five games.  Then team started performing and the dream run resulted in McDowell Mohun Bagan climbing to the top spot in the league table with ten wins in a row. The press and the football pundits sat up and took notice of the dream run and marked them as potential I-League contender. Then the graph started to climb down with back-to-back defeats, first in the hands of their archrival, Kingfisher East Bengal at the YBK and then against Churchill Brothers in Panaji, Goa.

As of date, three teams, two from Goa, Churchill Brothers (42 points from 20 matches), Sporting Clube the Goa (39 points from 20 matches) and McDowell Mohun Bagan, Kolkata (33 points from 17 matches) are in the title hunt.  As is evident, McDowell Mohun Bagan has played three matches less than the other two Goan teams because of AFC Cup commitment. Tomorrow they take on a local outfit Chirag United who are languishing in the tenth spot of the table.

Today, on March 22nd, 2008 Churchill Brothers took on another Kolkata outfit, Kingfisher East Bengal in Goa and came out victorious 3-1. This means that they have just two matches left, first an away match against Air India at Mumbai on 28th March’08 and their last a relatively “soft” home match against another Kolkata outfit, Mohammedan Sporting, who are hovering in the relegation zone, the date to be announced later by AIFF.

So for McDowell Mohun Bagan to win the I-League 2008-09 two things must need to happen. First from here on, they need to win all their matches without any let-up. Secondly, at least for once, Churchill and especially, their goal-scoring machine and powerhouse Odafa Okolie needs to have a really bad day in office. At least a draw against Bimal Ghosh’s Air India would suffice. Otherwise, as things stands, they are nearly home and dry and beyond any other’s reach because of a very superior goal difference of +26 vis-à-vis Sporting Goa’s +6 and McDowell Mohun Bagan’s +6.

REPORT: RANA BOSE AND SHILADITYA MITRA
PICTURE: SOUMYADEB SINHA

We lost against the Jordanian Club team 1-2 in the AFC Cup round-robin match. Although we went ahead within 13 minute through Rakesh Masih’s goal but the joy was short lived. They equalised within 3 minute and were leading 2-1 at the break. What exactly went wrong.

 1. Many are saying that Dempo have won their AFC Cup matches and we could not. It is a matter of prioritising and the priorities of Dempo may not match up with that of Mohun Bagan. As far as DSC is concerned, I-League 2008 is over for them. They are just playing for pride and going through the motions of finishing off the I-League. Mohun Bagan on the other hand cannot afford to lose focus on their quest for the I-League at this stage as all three teams CB, SCG and MB are seperated only by goal difference (assuming we win both our two back-log matches).

2. Mohun Bagan’s coach knows his team’s potential and Group D of AFC Cup (our Group) is the toughest and is being referred to as the "Group of Death" by the knowledgeable. The quality of players that we have cannot take us far in the AFC Cup..   

3. It goes without saying that of all the top I-League teams that are playing, our bench strength is a little weak, given that most of the players are junior and not have much experience. These bench sitters walk into the First XI (sometimes), not because of their potential or the Coach’s choice but because of compulsion in fielding them necessitated by injury, card problem or fatigue to the first choice players.

4. Our routine pattern of play (because of lack of versatility amongst players) is quickly spotted by the opponent coach. For example, a throw-in deep inside the opponent’s half will always be taken by Peter Odafe from the right or Habibur/Mohanraj from the left. It will be a deep throw with the expectation that either Rakesh Masih or Marcos will flick-head it inside the danger zone for any of our player to put it inside the goal. Why does Karim not change this style for something different. The reason is, he does not have a single quality ball player in the side who can play a decisive 1-2 when it matters and essay a final pass to be shot home.

5. Another important reason for our lack of maintaining the lead is the failure of the midfield trio. For quality midfield play it is essential that there has to be a "holding midfielder" who will be the playmaker. Marcos started off this season doing just that but because of lack of support from the co-midfielders he is now playing the role of a "blocker".  A lot of expectation was on Lalkamal but somehow he could not perform to his potential. He really is a superb player and we hope that next season he stay in Mohun Bagan and perform the way he performed against Bayern Munich.

6. Both our forwards Bhaichung and Barreto are ageing and play within a limited periphery of the field. If they had been 5 years younger then the whole scenario would have changed as they would have played more box-to-box football causing numerical advantage to the side. We are taking nothing away from the effort that the two players give and this year also we have seen some amazing goals from them, they need more support from midfield which they are not getting on all the matches.

7. Another important point that has to be noted is that the maximum distance between upfront players and midfielders in the side theoritically should not be more than 10-12 yards to create panic amongst opponent players and effect movements. Unfortunately, recently I am noticing that this distance between the defenders and midfielders and midfielders to upfront players reach more than 15 yards. What is happening is that opponents get enough free space to consolidate their play. The reasons for this deficiency are (a) lack of imagination amongst the midfielders, (b) fatigue and staleness causing failure to reach to the desired point in the field and (c) lack of confidence and self-belief.

8. For (7) I cannot blame the coach for the simple reason that the players were recruited first by the Officials and then Karim Bencherifa was appointed the coach. If he is there for 2010 and if funds permit we will perhaps have quality players of his choice.

9. Football is a very simple game where the emphasis by any side is to always have numerical superiority over its opponent be it inside the opponent’s box or in their own. This is where we are being outsmarted.

Guest Columnist : RANA BOSE (MEMBER, MOHUN BAGAN ATHLETIC CLUB)

Mohun Bagan lost 1-0 to Al-Karamah after putting up a brave fight. Really this is indeed an impressive performance against a team which has played final of AFC Champions league few seasons back, the team also has 9 National team players. Unfortunately, dead ball specialist Marcos missed a penalty which proved quite costly for the team; however, this is part of the game and we know in the past, players like Maradona, Zico, Beckham had failed to convert from spot kick. Next practice session of Mohun Bagan, Saturday 8.30 am, Mohun Bagan ground.

                          

The second half started with both teams on a positive note. However, against run of play, Mohammed Al Hamwi’s shot beats Sangram to put Al Karamah 1-0 up in 59th minute. Therefater, Al Karamah started to dominate proceedings. Mariners tries to equalise but good defending by the Syrian team prevented this. Sangram had a great day under the bar pulling off several brillinat saves in the second half. Mohanraj and Tulunga were shown yellow card during the match. The hosts continued to apply the pressure in the closing minutes with Mukherjee stopping efforts by Iyad Mando and Tamer Haj Mohamad while Al Hamwi had an effort cleared off the line by Lalramluaha. Mohanraj and Tulunga were shown yellow card during the match.

POST MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE

Mohamad Kwid’s pre-match predictions that former AFC Champions League finalists Al Karama would not breeze through the AFC Cup were proven right on Tuesday as the Kuwait League champions edged past India’s Mohun Bagan by a solitary goal.

Mohamad Al Hamwi scored on the hour mark, but only after Mohun Bagan’s Brazilian midfielder Marcos Pereira missed a penalty late in the first half.

“Mohun Bagan were an organised side and they played well. I watched their recent matches and knew that they would be dangerous,” said Kwid, who guided Al Karama to the 2006 Champions League final.

“Mohun Bagan had a golden chance to take the lead through the spot kick and things would have been harder had they scored."

“We had a lot of chances to score in the second half but the Indian goalkeeper played well.”

Mohun Bagan’s Moroccan coach Karim Bencherifa was pleased and refused to dwell on the missed penalty.

“Al Karama are a well known for their Asian experience,” he said. “We played against a good side and their fans played a big part."

“We had a chance to take the lead from a spot kick but this doesn’t mean we could have secured the win. I’m satisfied with the performance.”

Mohun Bagan: Sangram, Mohanraj, Manju, Odafe, Rahul (Dipak 82), Ishfaq (James Singh Sr. 83), Masih, Marcos (Branco 80), Tulunga, Lalramluah, Baichung.

COURTESY: Prince Rufus, Media officer of Mohun Bagan club in AFC Cup and www.the-afc.com

After the impressive wins in the iLeague , 10 matches in a row, and becoming a title contender, we thought we’ll end up with the i-League title. But to our surprise, we lost 0-3 against Kingfisher East Bengal, and then 1-3 against Churchill Brothers. 6 vital points gone – and we are now trailing into the third spot! I wonder want went wrong? Moreover – Sporting clube got 3 vital points after beating Dempo 2-1

Mohun Bagan lost to Churchill 3-1 today in an I league match played in Goa. Barreto scored the first goal for Mohun Bagan but conceded one goal just before half time. Half time score read 1-1, Churchill scored 2 more goals in 2nd half. Peter Odafe got yellow card today and will miss next match. Kalu scored 2 goals for Churchill and Odafe scored 1 goal. Kalu was adjudged Man of the Match.
TEAM: Sangram, Dipak, Odafe, Manju, Habibur, Ishfaq, Lalkamal (Lalramluah), Marcos, Tulunga, Barreto (Rakesh), Lalampuia (James Singh Sr.).

Marcos Perreira has probably been the most consistent performer for Mohun Bagan this season.

Since his joining Mohun Bagan, Mariners are unbeaten in the I-league. He was also an integral part of the Federation Cup winning squad.

Question: Congratulations, Marcos, on winning Federation Cup and in the I-League currently Mohun Bagan is a title contender, whereas before your arrival, Mohun Bagan was not in a good position. Do you think your inclusion helped improve the performance of team?

Marcos: I think the team has played well. I may have helped but if all the players had not played well, Mohun Bagan could not have won all those matches. This is a team game. Credit also goes to the coach for the good performance of the team. After the first East Bengal match, we went to play against Dempo in Goa; every player gave their best in that match, we won without one man. This match gave us a lot of confidence. In football, if team wins, confidence comes.

Question: When did you start playing football?

Marcos: In 1986, I joined an academy in Rio de Janeiro, I also played in Vasco da Gama, division A.

Question: What is your opinion of Brazil football in general?

Marcos: In Brazil football is like cricket in India. All children want to play football. It is a very popular sport in Brazil and people have great passion for it. I wanted to become a football player right from my childhood.

Question: Who was your idol?

Marcos: Romario.

Question: In Brazil did you ever play with any player who is a star now?

Marcos: Yah, once I played against Romario.

Question: What was the result of that match?

Marcos: Romario’s team won that match by probably 6-0. Romario scored 4 goals in that match.

Question: Who is your favourite Brazilian footballer now?

Marcos: Ronaldo. Though his form is not good now, he is back from injury, and he will be back to his own very soon.

Question: Tell us about your football career.

Marcos: I left Brazil in 1997, went to Saudi Arabia; I played three months there, then came back to Brazil. In 2000 I went to South Korea and stayed there for two months and then again came back to Brazil. In 2001, 2002 I came to India and played 2 seasons for Vasco. In 2003-04, I came to Mohun Bagan and played for six months, then went back to Vasco for six months, after that I joined Salgaokar for six months, Churchill six months, and JCT one season. From JCT, I went back to Brazil and returned to JCT after playing one season in Brazil. Right now, in Mohun Bagan my main aim is to win the I-League.

Question: What are the differences between football in Goa and Kolkata?

Marcos: In Kolkata there is more craze for football among the people compared to that in Goa. The craze for football in Kolkata can be compared to that in Brazil. Also in Kolkata there is more media attention than in Goa . Both the Goa League and the Kolkata League are tough as there are 3-4 good teams playing in both of them. There is definitely a bit of pressure in Kolkata from media but as a professional footballer you have to learn to perform well under pressure.

Question: In 2003 what forced you to leave Mohun Bagan in the middle of the season?

Marcos: That year, I got injured three times in my knee. I also had problems with officials who were in power at that time. I did not leave because of injury but because of problem with officials.

Question: Any reason for your joining Mohun Bagan this year?

Marcos: In 2003 I could not deliver good performance. I wanted to come back to Kolkata to prove people wrong and to help Mohun Bagan perform well. For JCT, I did not sign any contract this year. I talked to my long time friend, Barreto. Then I decided to come to Kolkata. JCT had good management, but I wanted to leave because I wanted to play for Mohun Bagan again. Another important reason for me joining Mohun Bagan is Debasish Dutta. Present management of Mohun Bagan is very good.

Question: Which is the best goal you have scored in India?

Marcos: The goal I scored against Air India during the Fed Cup this year. It was from a free kick which was quite close to the penalty box. For Vasco, I scored 5 goals against Mohun Bagan, 2 in kolkata, 3 in goa (different years). Also I scored a direct free kick against Mohammedan, which was unfortunately given offside.

Question: Do you want to comment on refereeing standard in India?

Marcos: No comments. I don’t want to comment on this.

Question: What about the ground conditions in India? Which ones do you find are good?

Marcos: Goa ground is very good, Kolkata is also good, Mumbai ground not good, small ground, hard ground. MB ground very good. I played in 2003 in MB ground last. I haven’t played at the Mohun Bagan ground this season, I have only practiced here. It is also quite good.

Question: You have played as a central mid fielder as well as a striker; in which position do you like playing more?

Marcos: I like to play in both positions. I play in a position in which the team wants me to play in. Apart from these two positions, I have also played as a left winger in Brazil. For Vasco 1st season I played midfield, 2nd season striker. Sometimes I played midfield, sometimes striker. I can play both as attacking and defensive midfielder, all depends on coach in what way he wants to use me. Coming down to help defence is absolutely okay for me, helping defence, no problem for me. In fact, in JCT I played three matches as a left half and also in Brazil I had a brief stint as a side half.

Question: How do you rate the youngsters in our team?

Marcos: All the players from TFA are very good. If they are in the team for 2-3 years, Mohun Bagan will definitely benefit from this. Ramluah and Rakesh Masih are very good players.

Question: What about Lalkamal?

Marcos: He is a very important player for us. Against Sporting de Goa, he came as a substitute and played very well which helped us to win the match.

Question: When you joined Mohun Bagan this year, few media wrote Marcos is overaged? Do you get affected by all of this?

Marcos: Not at all. I don’t read much newspaper. I know after my first match against East Bengal, many people abused me. Actually I had not played for six months. A new player needs time to settle down. Regarding my performance, I would rather discuss with coach than reading newspaper. I think in professional football, age is not a problem, see Ryan Giggs, still playing so well for Manchester United.

Question: In Mohun Bagan you are unbeaten for 11 matches now, but you were unbeaten for 12 matches while playing for a club in Brazil . What was the name of the club?

Marcos: It was for Ubiratan in Matogrosso Do Sul in Brazil.

Question: Which match would you pick up as the best match of Mohun Bagan this year?

Marcos: I would say two matches against Dempo, the I league match in Goa and the Federation Cup final match in Kolkata. In the I league match, after Vasan was sent off, coach changed the formation to 4-3-2, I went to defensive medio and Rakesh moved back to stopper position. I, Ishfaq and James became the three midfielders. Coach asked me to stay more down to help defence. In Federation Cup final, coach gave me a role to stop Beto since Dempo’s gamemaker is Beto. Playing final in Kolkata in front of huge crowd also helped a lot to win the final.

Question: Is Beto a good friend of yours?

Marcos: During match we are not friends, every player will give 100% for his club and we try to beat each other, when match ends we are friends again. After the final match, myself, Barreto and Beto went for dinner (laughing).

Question: What are your future plans?

Marcos: I want to play for another 3-4 years, then I might go back to Brazil and may do some coaching degree, have not decided on this yet.

Question: Say something about your family.

Marcos: My wife and daughter lives in Brazil . I have a 5-year-old daughter who was born in Kolkata. I need to give my best for my family. This is my profession. I am not staying with my family, the sacrifice which I am making is for my family. My daughter goes to school and they live in Matogrosso do Sul.

Question: Who is your best friend?

Marcos: Jose Barreto and Edu of JCT. I talk often with Edu. When he comes to play in Kolkata, we meet often and take lunch together.

Question: What do you usually do in your spare time?

Marcos: I stay in the house, spend time surfing internet or watch football in television. Sometimes I spend time with Barreto and his family.

Question: Which team do you support in EPL?

Marcos: I love to watch good games. I don’t support any team as such.

Question: You have played under many coaches in India ? Who is your favourite? How would you rate Karim as a coach?

Marcos: I like all coaches, every coach has something different. Karim is definitely a very good coach. Gives me a lot of confidence to play well. Due to him team has such a good team spirit. He can also make strategy well. He is one of the factors why MB is doing so well. He is the leader and gives encouragement to team. He is very important to us. I like Sukhwinder also, he brought me back to India after I went back to Brazil.

Question: Are you satisfied with your performance in Mohun Bagan?

Marcos: If we win the I-League, then I will be satisfied. Winning 10 consecutive matches is not all, we have to win I league. Mohun Bagan is a big club, winning trophies is very important here, just winning matches will not do. Our focus is now on winning the I league.

Question: You came in mid season, did you face any problem to cope up with team since you did not attend preseason training?

Marcos: Every player needs 1 week to 2 weeks to adapt, I have adapted myself well here, as I said the coach helped me a lot, gave me a lot of encouragement. Before signing, I was here for 1 month, stayed with the club and was practicing to get myself adapted. This helped a lot.

Question: You seem to be a corner and free kick specialist? Do you take this on the coach’s instructions?

Marcos: Yes the coach decides on who will take the corner or free kick. I like taking free kicks. Regarding corner, sometimes James takes the corner as sometimes coach asks me to come back quickly to help defence after corner is taken. We also sometimes take short corner depending on position of opposition player.

Question: How do you have such good stamina at 35?

Marcos: God helped a lot. I try to keep myself fit, eat good food, and do regular exercise. I was within Robson for 5 years, I have a little knowledge on physical training. I try to use that knowledge to keep myself fit. I am also very religious. I am a protestant. On Sunday, I go to church with Barreto. Overall I try to maintain a good life system.

Question: Do you feel the standard of football in India has improved since your first year in India?

Marcos: Yes every year the standard of football improves in India . This year’s I-League has been very competitive so far. I think this is the best I-League in 10 years. The speed of the game has increased drastically since 2001. Our game against Mohammeden Sporting bears testimony to this fact. They really played very well against us.

Question: So do you think it is possible for India to qualify for the World Cup in 2014?

Marcos: It is very hard for India to qualify in the World Cup in 2014. Only 4 teams can qualify for the World Cup from Asia and with Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, China and also Australia, it will be very hard for India to qualify.

Question: Who do you think are the best Indian players right now?

Marcos: I like many of them but my favourites are Baichung, Sunil Chetry and Joaquim Abranches.

Question: Which team’s midfield you think is the best in I-League to play against?

Marcos: Dempo and Churchill’s midfield are very good. We had tough matches against both the teams. Against Churchill in Kolkata, we had to be a little bit cautious because Odafe is a dangerous player.

Question: How do you think Indian football should improve?

Marcos: India needs more academies. There are very few quality academies in India. Problem is not with foreign players or foreign coaches. Good foreigners help raise standard of Indian football and definitely good foreign coaches are also required, but you need to have more talent coming out from a number of good academies. Another important factor is that football is not the first sports in India, cricket is the first. India need to make long term plans. In Japan big money was involved to improve standard of football, they were sending 200 under age players per year to Brazil , this helped a lot.

Question: Do you think physical condition of Indian players is less?

Marcos: No I don’t think so. I have seen great improvement in this department over the years.

Question: What are the factors due to which Mohun Bagan is performing so well this year?

Marcos: There are many factors. Officials, coach and players all are doing their job to perfection and supporters are giving good support to the team. Team spirit is also very good. We have respect for each other irrespective of whether he is a junior player or senior player. The coach definitely had an important role to play to build this team spirit. Seniors players also mixed nicely with juniors.

Question: Next match is against Churchill, any special preparation for this match?

Marcos: This is another I-League match for us. Definitely Odafe is a good player but we are also prepared as a team.

Question: Any message for supporters.

Marcos: Supporters are very important for us, against Air India in cooperage, there were more supporters of MB rather than Air India. Mohun Bagan club being a big club has many supporters all over India. I want them to support us like this. We hope to bring smile to their face in this I-League. They should continue their support for us.

INTERVIEW: Srijan Bhattacharya, Nirmalya Maity and Shiladitya Mitra

REPORT: Srijan Bhattacharya, Shiladitya Mitra and Rajat Subhra Banerjee