Poor start of the mariners cost 3 valuable points in their opening match in ONGC I-League against Mumbai FC at Barasat Stadium. Mohun Bagan and India captain Baichung Bhutia has asked the team members not to criticize each other in the dressing room after the game is over. Hence, the team will stay away from the ‘autopsy’ on Saturday, after a stunning loss to Mumbai FC by 1-2. The first question in the mind of supporters , fans and members would be very simple ‘what just happened?’

The second ‘And will it show up in other matches as well?’ The i-League has just started and Bagan is already in the lower half after they lost to Mumbai FC 1-2. Mumbai FC scored two goals in first 25 mins while PC Lalawmpuia reduced the margin in the second half. Baichung Bhutia and Jose Barreto missed few opportunities , while Bagan was deprived of a penalty when a Mumbai FC defender handled the ball inside the penalty box. Ex-Bagan Kalyan Chaubey , Sanjay Parte, Subhash Chakraborty played pretty well while the TFA boys and the Bagandefense were far from their best.

After winning the Premier League, the mainers are in the jeopardy of losing 3 points in the home match. One can only hope that the team will turn the table around and will be back in to the winning spree. The blocking long throws-in , feeble shots inside the penalty area, lack of central midfield, slow movements of Baichung and Barreto, misunderstanding within the defenders, and a goalkeeper who was found limping from the 5th minute of the match – all contributed to the poor show.  One can hope Bagan defense will improve from the next match and Shilton should be able to judge the ball well. One also hopes that there will be some movements in the central midfield.

Rice Education is the new cosponsor. MohunBagan has got Rice Education as new cosponsors for I league and Fed Cup. Their logo will be displayed on the sleeves and pants. Of note, NIIT was cosponsor in Kolkata league of Mohun Bagan.It is good to know that many educational institutions are coming forward to be cosponsors. It reflects the fact that the student fraternity is still in love with sports as a whole and Mohun Bagan in particular.

Here we are discussing about the team Mohunbagan in forthcoming 2nd ONGC I-League. MohunBagan has made us proud, winning Kolkata Premiere League for the 28th time. At the moment Green and Maroon flags are flying high but an obvious question is creeping into every supporter’s mind “Yes, we have done it again this year!! But will we be able to carry on this performance which we failed to do last year!”. Now the focus is on I-League, the most prestigious tournament in India, knocking at the door, only a couple of days away. The two most deciding factors to win such a highly competitive league are team combination and reserve bench strength. Now let us throw some light into those aspects from a different angle.

Team combination regarding age of footballers is perfect for our team. We have got Barreto-Baichung who are in their early 30’s and a bunch of young kids who have not yet touched 20 or in their early 20’s. Hopefully this blend of youth with experience will yield well for us in this league. In the recent Kolkata League our team played with good old 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 combination.

     

In i-league probably two of our seasoned campaigners, Baichung-Barreto will play in the striking zone and we have replacements like Lalawmpuia and Branco. In midfield we have Ishfaq, Jr. James, Rakesh, Lalram, Tulunga, Sr. James. We lack in central midfield place where we need an attacking medio who can hold the ball and switch it to both flanks or put a through pass for our strikers as well. Though Rakesh is basically a stopper, he has adjusted himself quite well in his new position, defensive medio and performing well under pressure. Due to injury Ishfaq missed a couple of matches but he and Tulunga, running down the flanks are always soothing for the eyes and a potent threat to any oppossing side. Lalramluah has been a hero for us in the local league. This young fellow has ample potential to be a star. In our defensive third we have Odafa, Deepak, Manju, Habibur and Mohanraj,big names in the galaxy of Indian football. All of them have provided MohunBagan  great service throughout the Kolkata League. Strength of our reserve bench is just awesome.

It has been proved in the local league where in few circumstances,injury problems put some our regular players out in some of the matches, then, players like Kartik Kisku, Rino Anto, Rahul Kumar, Tapan Maity, Anand Vasan made their presence felt significantly during the matches. Fitness levels of our players are quite satisfactory, as they are running for each and every ball throughout the game. Our last line of defense, Sangram has performed consistently well throughout the KPL under the bars. Moreover we have replacements like Shilton and Chirodeep.

So, Mohun Bagan looks all set to hit the ground running in the I-League this year and we are waiting with bated breath for these boys to bring the I League home where it belongs.

 

(Hope we can see this picture in I-League)