East Bengal (File Photo)

East Bengal beat Prayag United in a crucial match in the 117^th IFA Shield today at the Kanchenjunga Stadium at Siliguri. It was a good chance for Prayag United to take sweet revenge for their IFA Shield defeat last year when the Red & Gold Brigade beat the purple brigade 4-2 in the tie-breaker. But after this defeat, Prayag will have to win their next match against ONGC to reach the semi-final. On the other hand, East Bengal finish at the top of their group.

The first half ended goalless as both the teams tried to understand their opponent’s strategy. The first attack for Prayag United came in the 4^th minute when Rafiq got the ball from captain Ranti Martins in the East Bengal penalty box, but East Bengal custodian Gurpreet collected it from Rafiq’s foot quite brilliantly. In the 19^th minute, Chidi’s shot was saved by Sangram, who has been quite consistent under the bar for the Purple brigade this season.

Chidi was the man who broke the shackles in the 51^st minute when he scored from a well-timed cross from Sanju Pradhan. After taking the lead, East Bengal attacked more and more. But the introduction of Lalkamal Bhowmik in the Prayag  team boosted their attack and after that Prayag tried to equalize. In the 66^th minute, Rafiq got a golden opportunity to equalize for his team, but Gurpreet saved it well. Chidi doubled the scoreline for East Bengal in the 75^th minute when he picked up Chinta’s careless back pass towards the keeper and did not make any mistakes in converting it into a goal.

East Bengal’s British coach Trevor James Morgan will be very much pleased with his team’s performance in this match. But it seems like it is going to be an uphill task for Prayag United, as they will have to win against ONGC if they want to cement their place in the last four.

Final score: East Bengal 2 – Prayag United 0

East Bengal: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Naoba Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Uga Okpara, Robert Lalthalma, Sanju Pradhan (Ishfaq Ahmed 72’), Subodh Kumar, Penn Orji, Harmanjot Khabra, Baljit Sahni (Manandeep Singh 71’), Edeh Chidi (Andrew Barisic 80’).

Prayag United: Sangram Mukherjee, Chinta Chandrashekar Rao, Bello Razaq, Dhanachandra Singh, Deepak Mondal, Tapan Maity, James Lukram Singh (Shankar Oraon 70’), Mohammed Rafiq, Ravinder Singh (Lal Kamal Bhowmick 56’), Carlos Hernandez (Kayne Vincent 81’), Ranti Martins.

It is quite sad that the 69-year-old legend, who has got all the required coaching licenses from Europe, despite winning 35 tournaments as a club coach and three international titles as national team’s coach (1987 SAFF Games, 1997 SAFF and 2005 SAFF Championship), has been overlooked by each and every club from India. Riding his old scooter, he knocked on many doors for help, and was ready to even coach the junior side, but ultimately he said regretfully, “I have turned from National coach to National beggar.”

Meanwhile, besides stating that he has already returned the money, Nayeemuddin also criticized current national coach Wim Koevermans and team India’s failure in the AFC Cup qualifiers. Talking about his tenure as national coach, he said, “We became the champions and created history when we beat Maldives 5-1. We have beaten Pakistan on their home soil and became champions. It’s quite surprising that instead of getting all the facilities, team India could not beat Myanmar.” He added, “I have heard that our Dutch coach gets 30-40 lakhs. When he can’t beat Myanmar after getting this huge amount of money, what is the need to keep a foreign coach?”.

It is going to be a huge clash in the 117^th IFA Shield, when two Kolkata power-houses meet. East Bengal take on Prayag United tomorrow in the Kanchenjunga Stadium at Siliguri. The Red & Gold Brigade have already cemented their place in the last four, but tomorrow’s match is going to be an important one for the Prayag brigade, because if they lose tomorrow’s match then they will have to beat ONGC later to March 11 to confirm their place in the next round.

Both the teams are in good touch as East Bengal beat Pailan Arrows in their first match in this IFA Shield by 1-0 and in the second match against ONGC, the Kolkata boys demolished the oilmen by 2-1. Prayag United is also looking good under their Dutch coach Eelco Schattorie. In their first match against Pailan Arrows, they thumped the young and inexperienced brigade 5-0.

It will a big test for East Bengal coach Trevor James Morgan also, as in the first meeting between these two teams in this I-League, Prayag United beat East Bengal 1-0. But it seems like Morgan will test his bench strength in this match. Also, the British coach would not want to take any risks before the semi-final as his two dependable foreigners, Andrew Barisic and Uga Okpara, are on a yellow card each. The boy with the golden feet, Manandeep Singh, who scored the winner for East Bengal in the last match against ONGC, might get a chance to start tomorrow’s match besides Edeh Chidi. As per the latest news, East Bengal mid-fielder Lalrindika Ralte, who is playing quite brilliantly this season, got an unnecessary red card in their last match and was fined Rs. 10000 by the team management.

Meanwhile, the 5-0 victory over Pailan has surely boosted the confidence of the Prayag brigade. Captain Ranti Martins and Costa Rican Carlos Hernandez seem to be in good touch. Their Aussie striker Vincent also scored a goal in the last match. Ranti, who is currently the top scorer in this season’s I-League, will surely try to be the highest goal scorer in the 117^th IFA Shield also.

Trevor James Morgan has told his boys not to take this match too lightly. It is going to be an interesting clash tomorrow, as East Bengal will try to finish as the top team in their group, while Prayag United will surely want to book their place in the last four.

It was a winter evening. I can only remember I was in school at that time though I cannot remember in which class I was then. While returning home in the evening, glimpses of Mohun Bagan flags and the roar of Mohun Bagan supporters attracted me. As a result I stopped in front of a traffic signal to watch those fans and their ‘madness’. Suddenly a passer-by screamed ‘Barrettoo…Barretttooo….’

Jose Ramirez Barreto is a 36-year-old Brazilian striker. Is this description enough to describe this great player? Surely not. What else can I say about this man? I don’t think I am mature enough to talk about this legendary footballer, arguably the greatest foreign player to have played in India, who enriched Indian football with his brilliance, class and leadership. While the cricket world labels Sachin as the ‘God of Cricket’, similarly for the Mohun Bagan fans, this Brazilian was much more than just a ‘God’. I have heard some fans to call him ‘a saviour’. It is quite surprising how a foreigner came into this country and earned the respect of numerous fans.

‘Sheet Grishma Borsha…Barreto i Bhorsa (Winter, summer or rain…Barreto is the saviour)’ - this phrase is quite appropriate to describe the craziness of Mohun Bagan fans and their faith in him. In his 11 year journey in the National Club of India, Barreto gave this club everything he had. On the field, he always tried to give more than 100%. Off the field, he is a loyal soldier who turned down very good offers in his career because of the love he had for Mohun Bagan. Even after joining a second division club in the last season, his heart still beats for the Mariners. That’s why he was sad when he heard that Mohun Bagan will be banned from I-League for 2 more seasons. Apart from winning the fans’ hearts, he has also won a lot of trophies for the Mariners and holds some records, which include scoring 200 goals for Mohun Bagan. In 2010, he achieved this unique feat and he is the only football player in the history of Indian football to achieve this milestone with one club.

Though he lost his glorious form in the last couple of seasons, his magical touches are still treat to watch. When he joined Bhowanipur Club in the start of this season, he made his intentions clear about taking this team to the highest level of Indian football – the I-league. Though it is quite difficult for him to lift this team on his own, this club he has already created some magical moments in his first year there, which included beating his former side Mohun Bagan – a historic achievement for the club. It’s true that the Baretto may not be able to produce the same magic he did with Mohun Bagan for almost a decade, but he still holds a special place in the hearts of fans and will continue to do so for a long time.

There is just one day to go before the kick-off of the 117^th IFA Shield, the fourth oldest club cup competition and one of the most prestigious football tournaments in India.  But it seems like the starting of this tournament will not be smooth enough as Bangladesh team, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC, has withdrawn their name from the tournament. They have informed the Indian Football Association (IFA) that because of the political issues in Bangladesh and visa problems, they are unable to take part in this competition. In this crunch situation, IFA are now trying to sort this thing out by introducing a club from Nepal.

11 days ago, IFA announced the name of this Bangladesh club in the press conference but rumour spread that apart from sending a letter to ALL India Football Federation (AIFF), IFA did not take any initiative to bring this club to the competition. IFA secretary Utpal Ganguly told yesterday that Muktijoddha will not be able to take part in this year’s competition because of the political issues in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, IFA are now trying to introduce a Nepal club because Nepalese people can enter in India without any visa. So, IFA are now trying to explore this avenue to settle this thing.

On the other hand, Mohun Bagan officials got angry over the IFA, because according to the,m Mohun Bagan will have to play against quality sides like Pune FC and Costa Rica club Deportivo Saprissa. So, if a Nepal club participates in this competition, then it will be a lot easier for East Bengal and Prayag United to reach the Shield cup final. As a result, Mohun Bagan officials demanded to make a lottery after keeping East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in two different sides.

Meanwhile, Costa Rica club Deportivo Saprissa has already come into Kolkata yesterday.

The duel between IPL and I-League came to the limelight as the largest football stadium by capacity, Yuva-Bharati Stadium (Salt Lake Stadium), has been selected as the official venue to host the opening ceremony of the IPL 6. The problem is that, though the opening ceremony will be held on April 3, but due to the rehearsal and other activities Yuva-Bharati Stadium will be unavailable for playing football from March 19. As a result, 6 I-league matches might get shifted to the Kalyani Stadium.

Regarding this issue, the Kolkata cricket and football world got separated. While CAB member Biswarup Dey told in his statement yesterday that though KKR officials have listed Maidan and Netaji Indoor Stadium for the opening ceremony, but due to some unavoidable reasons, those two venues are not appropriate for the ceremony. Targeting the I-League and it’s unpopularity in Indian sports he said, “…Australian people don’t watch I-league, England people don’t watch I-league, but the whole world watch the IPL. Yuva-Bharati Stadium is under West Bengal government, so it does not matter what IFA and AIFF says.”

East Bengal general secretary Kalyan Majumdar got furious yesterday after hearing this news. He said that, while they were not disturbing Eden Garden, then why CAB and KKR officials are targeting Salt Lake Stadium, and when they have a beautiful ground like Eden then why they are trying to host the opening ceremony in the football stadium. Mohun Bagan and Prayag United officials said in their statements that if the matches will held in the Kalyani stadium, then it will not be problem for them as they do not like to play in the astro-turf field in the Saltlake Stadium.

Meanwhile, sports minster of West Bengal Madan Mitra, clearly stated yesterday that they will look into this matter and will also try to solve this problem without hampering football.

East Bengal and Mohun Bagan  are two names that are more than enough to represent Indian football in the international arena. You cannot talk about Indian football without mentioning the two biggest clubs in India known for their rich history, huge fan base, and, of course, for the bitter rivalry between them. Both the clubs have won numerous trophies and will win many more in the future. But as the 117^th IFA Shield is going to kick-off in a couple of days, both these giants should approach in the competition in a different way.

The IFA Shield is the 4^th oldest club competition in world football after the English and Scottish FA cup and Durand Cup, and is one of the most prestigious football tournament in India, because this competition is related to India’s freedom struggle. Mohun Bagan was the club which won this title for the first time in 1911 when they beat East Yorkshire Regiment by 2-1. East Bengal won the competition for the first time in the year 1943. Since the early days of this tournament, these two teams have shared the title 44 times – the Red & Gold Brigade have won 24 it times and the Mariners won it 20 times. After seeing this stat, one cannot neglect the dominance of Bengal football in this competition. This year, the IFA Shield is going to start from March 4. The ongoing I-league season has been quite contrasting for East Bengal and Mohun Bagan and they have to think about their priorities before they start their IFA Shield campaign.

The defending IFA Shield champions, East Bengal, have had a great I-league season so far and currently are at the top the league table. They have a glorious chance to win the revamped league for the first time. Also, they are going to take part in the AFC Cup. The 8-time Federation Cup winners and 16-time Durand Cup champions have won almost all competitions which they have participated in except the I-League and AFC Cup. It’ll not be a difficult job for them to clinch this season’s I-league title, though they will have to rely on Churchill Brothers to some extent. But this is a golden opportunity for the East Bengal players to keep focusing on the I-League and AFC Cup rather than the IFA Shield and to add the I-League title and, if possible, the AFC Cup to their trophy cabinet.

On the other hand, it’s a different scenario for Mohun Bagan. It can be simply said that this is not their season. After building a big budget team, the fans were quite sure that their soldiers will do something to bring back the lost smile on their faces. But that did not happen. Despite bringing back smiles, the century old Mohun Bagan club faced a ban, which was a slap in the face for the National Club of India. Though they have saved themselves from the ban, they now have to fight to save themselves from relegation. Now they have to rely on two competitions – Calcutta Football League and IFA Shield – which are still in their grasp and if they can play up to their mark, they can win it.

So the circumstances are very contrasting for both teams. Now it’s all upon the players, coach and the team management to set up their desired goals and fight to achieve them.

After diminishing all the rumours and possibilities, the governing body of Indian Football, All India Football Federation (AIFF) has confirmed it yesterday by not inviting Air India and ONGC in an important seminar, that they will not be a part of the next edition of the I-league. This means that two new teams will get the permission to take part in the I-league and they will play for at least three consecutive years irrespective of their position in the league table.

Yesterday, AIFF called an important club licensing seminar in Goa, particularly for the clubs situated in the western region, notably Mumbai and Goa. But these two teams were not invited in that seminar. Meanwhile, both the teams have failed to meet the strict club licensing criteria. Both government entities have ticked a majority of the criteria box, but the all important one of registering the team as a separate entity has not been fulfilled.

“The Clubs needed some clarifications so we decided a workshop would be the best option. There will be discussions on the timeline & how soon we can complete the formalities”, said I-League CEO Sunando Dhar.

Air India has managed to gather 18 points from 17 matches and ONGC is now in the 7^th position in the league table with 24 points from 19 matches. Though ONGC are in a comfortable position, Air India might face relegation at the end of this season, as Mohun Bagan is trying to bounce back from the last position in the table to a position where they will be safe from relegation. Now it is a bit confusing for the fans to know how many teams will play in the next season.

From the left – Subrata Pal , Ranti Martins, Coach Eelco Schattorie and Carlos Hernandez

Some say that they are the Real Madrid of Indian football while some don’t think so. Some call them the Manchester City of Indian football. Some fans think that they have a good, strong side like Real Madrid. Others think that as in spite of making good investments and a good team, they have not played up to their mark, just like Manchester City in this season so far. From the very beginning of this season, this dual notion among the fans is quite noticeable.

After their name changed from ‘Chirag United’ to ‘Prayag United’, this is their first season under the new name. Still, 6 more games are in hand for the Purple Brigade. After playing 20 games in this I-League season so far, they have managed to gather 31 points and are in the 5th position in the league table. Yes, we cannot say that they have performed up to their mark in this season so far, but what we can say is that Prayag United need to keep faith in themselves and also have a little bit of patience.

Prayag United need to learn something from their neighbours, East Bengal, who are very much in the title race and arguably one of the favourites to clinch this title. East Bengal has kept almost their same team and coach since last three years, which is the biggest reason behind their success in recent years. As this brought an understanding among the players, it helped the team in achieving long-term goals. Dempo is an another prime example of keeping the same players and coach, which helped them in clinching last season’s title and the team has the record of wining Goa league 11 times. If Prayag United can hold this team for two-three seasons more, then it’ll be much easier for the players to create a good understanding among them.

Apart from this, Prayag United should allow more opportunities to their young guns like C.K. Vineeth, Shankar Oraon, Asif Kottayil, Gourango Biswas and others. Under the supervision of Dutch coach Eelco Schattorie, the young Prayag boys are playing quite brilliantly. The superiority of four foreigners, Ranti Martins, Bello Rasaq, Kayne Vincent and Carlos Hernandez has added extra sharpness in the team line up. As a result, they are playing a key role in the growth of young players. But there is something which the Prayag coach and the team management should be cautious of – the lack of strength of reserve bench. Prayag’s reserve bench strength is not so strong compared to other big teams like East Bengal, Dempo and Churchill Brothers.

Maybe at the start of the season, fans expected Prayag United to surprise the big guns of Indian football and proving themselves as one of the favourites to win this season’s title. Yes, they have surprised some of the big clubs including Salgaocar and Dempo. But they have also lost, or I should rather say, gifted some points to some small clubs including Sporting Clube de Goa, ONGC and Shillong-Lajong. As a result, despite of making a good start to the season, they have slowly slipped away from the title race. Now, forgetting all the disappointments and taking lessons from all the wrong things they have done in this season, they need a fresh start in the next season and who knows, they may emerge as the champions of I-League season 2013-14.

There are 6 more games to go. Still in his three years of coaching, he has not tasted an I-League title win. But certainly that drought can come to an end at the end of this season. Yes, I am talking about the Kolkata Giants East Bengal, the supreme Red & Gold Brigade and their coach Trevor James Morgan.

Inspite of playing two more games than Churchill Brother’s 18, East Bengal are still at the top of the league table, which certainly gives them a boost when they start their ‘Road to I-League title’ after this break. Apart from this psychological advantage, let’s see some other advantages for East Bengal in the I-League title race.

 1. Home games: East Bengal has 5 home matches (considering the match against Prayag United in Kolkata as home match) out of their 6 remaining matches in this season I-League. This is a huge advantage for the Red & Gold Brigade and records of their previous home matches in this season show that they have lost just 2 out of 8 games.

2. Not so strong opponents: Playing against some of the ‘not so strong’ opponents of the I-League is another advantage for the East Bengal. In the remaining six matches, East Bengal will face Air India, Prayag United, United Sikkim, Sporting Clube de Goa, Dempo SC and Shillong-Lajong. Apart from Prayag United and Dempo SC, other matches will not be a big concern for the Kolkata giants. If they can manage to snatch wins against Prayag United and Dempo, then it is quite sure that the ‘Road to I-League title’ will be very much interesting to watch. 

3. Churchill Brothers’ problems: The problems with Churchill Brothers eventually become advantages for East Bengal. Churchill, in its remaining 8 matches in the I-League season, will face another Kolkata giant Mohun Bagan. Arguably these two matches might change the scenario of the table as while Churchill will try their best to win the matches and keep the pressure on East Bengal, at the same time Mohun Bagan have to win most of their remaining matches in order to save themselves from relegation. Apart from this, Churchill have the ‘foreigner’ problem as they are struggling to find Bilal’s replacement, who has been a key player in the defense for the Goan. Churchill has also enrolled their name in the AFC Cup, which might distract them from their primary target, the I-League title. 

4.    Dempo SC’s problems: The defending I-League champions are not in a position to defend their title for the second consecutive year as they are currently third in the league table with 35 points from 19 matches. Relying too much on the Indian players and their prime striker Koko Sakibo’s bad run in this season in absence of Sueoka will be a big problem for the Goan team, especially after this one month break, when the title race will be much tougher.

East Bengal coach Trevor James Morgan stated earlier in this season that he thinks 55 will be the ‘magic figure’ and if they can manage to get that ‘magic figure’, then it will be easy for them to keep them in the title race, and possibly that might give him a chance to taste the I-League title for the first time in his coaching career in India.

The Kolkata Derby in the Calcutta Football League, which is supposed to be held on February 23, has been postponed till April as both the teams are quite reluctant to play without some of their important players, who have already gone for national duty. In addition to this game, some other matches, including Prayag United’s match against East Bengal and Mohun Bagan have also been postponed because of the same reason.

As a result, according to the new fixtures, all the league matches, apart from East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Prayag United, will be played in February and March. East Bengal will have to play Mohammedan Sporting on February 23. Mohammedan Sporting will face Prayag United and Mohun Bagan on February 19 and March 2 respectively.

After talking with the club officials, IFA Secretary Mr. Utpal Ganguly said that AIFF is not going to release any player from the national camp and also, because of some problems with the Santosh Trophy, they have postponed all the big matches, including the Derby in April.

After some people criticized Mohun Bagan’s decision on ticket prices, Mr. Ganguly said that they will keep the price of tickets moderate and within people’s reach.

Mohun Bagan: 4-3-3: Shilton Paul, Aiborlang Khongjee, Nirmal Chhetri, Echezona Anyichie, Syed Rahim Nabi (Sushant Matthew 81), Manish Bhargav, Denson Devdas, Jewl Raja (Snehashish Chakraborty 52), Manish Maithani, Tolgay Ozbey (Quinton Jacobs 78), Odafa Okolie.

East Bengal: 4-4-2: Abhijit Mondol, Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Arnab Mondal, Uga Okpara, Saumik Dey, Penn Orji, Mehtab Hussain, Ishfaq Ahmed (Sanju Pradhan 82), Lalrindika Ralte, Baljit Singh Sahni (Cavin lobo 68), Edeh Chidi.

It was the clash of two biggest rivals of Indian football, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. But ultimately, both the teams shared points as one of the most anticipated derbies in the Indian football ended in a goal-less draw. It was a crucial game for both teams. While East Bengal wanted to get three points to keep the pressure on Churchill, at the same time Mohun Bagan wanted to win as these points will certainly help them in avoiding relegation.

It was a good competitive 90 minutes as both the teams tried their best to get three points from this match. From the very first minute, East Bengal started to attack the Mohun Bagan defense. In the 5^th minute, East Bengal defender Arnab Mondal almost scored an own goal. Penn Orji  played a crucial role in the first half for East Bengal. In the 11 minute, he made a good run into the Mohun Bagan box but his low cross was comfortably gathered by the Mariner’s custodian Shilton Paul. The first shot on goal came in the 20^th minute. Manish Maithani’s shot from outside of the box was comfortably collected by East Bengal goalkeeper Abhijit Mondal.

Mohun Bagan’s Aussie striker Tolgay Ozbey failed to score in his first derby in the Mohun Bagan jersey. In the 25^th minute, he made a good, powerful run but that was not enough to test Abhijit. The real chance came for Mohun Bagan in the 29^th minute, when they got a free kick in a dangerous position, just outside the box. Mohun Bagan skipper Odafa went closest with his free-kick, but his shot was denied by the post.

Mohun Bagan goalkeeper, Shilton Paul, made a terrible mistake in the 39^th minute, when he failed to collect a flighted cross, but luckily East Bengal could not take advantage of it. In the 44^th minute, Aibor made a clumsy challenge on Chidi into the box but the contact was not enough to merit a penalty.

In the second half, both the teams played a bit defensively. Mohun Bagan got another chance in the 52^nd minute, with the Odafa-Tolgay combination creating a good scoring opportunity, but East Bengal defender Uga Okpara defended brilliantly to deny them. Though the Mohun Bagan players shouted for a handball, the referee was not interested to give them a penalty. In the 62^nd and 70^th minutes, Chidi tried his luck, but both the shots were not on target.

In the 78^th minute, Cavin Lobo got a half chance to score but could not find the net. Another chance came for East Bengal in the 80^th minute, when Ishfaq made a good cross into the Mohun Bagan box, but Chidi could not keep the ball down.

With this draw, East Bengal remain in the no 1 position in the league table with 40 points from 20 matches, while their arch rivals Mohun Bagan have to work hard as they are now at the bottom of the league table with 6 points from 15 matches.

“Do or Die”.

This might be the mentality of each and every Mohun Bagan player when they take on their arch rivals East Bengal at the Salt Lake Stadium. A bad start to the season, the derby scandal, starting their second innings with nothing in hand and now the fear of relegation – certainly this season has not been good at all for the Mohun Bagan players, coach and of course for the fans.

Though the countdown has already started and the heat of the game has already begun to spread, let’s take a look at how Mohun Bagan can dominate Saturday’s derby:

Play to Odafa’s strength

Tomorrow, Mohun Bagan will deeply rely on their captain and primary striker Odafa Okolie, who can change the complexion of the game on his own. Mohun Bagan fans and neutrals will want to see the team play some attractive football. But when it comes to the question of winning the game, then Mohun Bagan should play their natural direct game. Not thinking very much about East Bengal defense, Mohun Bagan should try to attack from the very first half, rather than playing possession football and waiting for the right chance and no doubt that Odafa will play a big role in Mohun Bagan’s attack tomorrow.

Give Tolgay a free role

Apart from Odafa, Tolgay might be a key factor in tomorrow’s game and he should play his natural game to help Mohun Bagan to snatch a win from their arch rival East Bengal. This Aussie striker was at his best at East Bengal, when he used to play as the support striker with Robin Singh. As a result, instead of playing two strikers, Mohun Bagan coach Karim Bencherifa should starts with just Odafa upfront and allow Tolgay the freedom to run at East Bengal’s back four.

Target East Bengal custodian Abhijit Mondal

Mohun Bagan players should try to expose East Bengal’s goalkeeper Abhijit Mondal. Though the veteran goal-keeper has great reflexes, but, as has been seen on a couple of occasions, he struggles a bit with crosses and long balls. As a result, sometimes he ends up making mistakes in the box.

Don’t give Edeh Chidi any space

While Mohun Bagan will rely on Odafa, at the same time, East Bengal will keep faith on Chidi to torment the Mohun Bagan defense. East Bengal has struggled a bit for goals in this season so far and apart from Chidi, no one has found the back of the net regularly. If Chidi can be man-marked out of the game then East Bengal could struggle to score. Eche could be the ideal player to give this role.

Play as it’s the relegation decider

In spite of thinking about their past and thinking much about their not-so-good performances so far in this season, Mohun Bagan should look forward to try and win this derby at any cost. Lingering at the bottom, Mohun Bagan should approach the game as if it’s the last game of the season, which they have to win to save them from relegation. Though the Mariners will get a few opportunities after this match to recover from the threat of relegation, but if they can manage a win here then it will be the best way to answer all the criticisms and humiliation they have faced in the past few months.

It’s good news for Indian football as United Sikkim’s central defender Sandesh Jhingan is going to try his luck in the Chinese League One. As per the latest reports, Sandesh will be going to China by February 17 as 2 League One sides have shown interest in the 19 year old defender from Chandigarh.

Sandesh had earlier caught the attention of national team’s coach Wim Koevermans and he was in the stand-by squad for India’s international friendly against Palestine, which India lost by 4-2. Though United Sikkim have lost most of their matches in this season so far and are trying to avoid relegation, Sandesh’s solid defending throughout the season has brought him to the limelight. Philippe de Ridder, the football director and former coach of USFC football club has confirmed this news. While giving his reaction to the Times of India, he told, “There are many talented players and they need exposure. As football director, I am trying to ensure that. Sandesh is a good player.”

Baichung Bhutia, who is the owner cum player of United Sikkim, told in his statement, “This is definitely great news. I have been saying from even before the I-League started that there are many talented players in the squad.”

Now we have to wait and see whether this young talent can display his talents in the Chinese football or not. If he can manage to get success, then no doubt that in the near future, he will be one of India’s most promising stars.

Just 2 days to go for the Kolkata derby! More than being just any other ‘Kolkata derby’, I think ‘Clash of the Titans’ sounds better to describe the intensity and rivalry between the two greatest sides of Indian football, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

East Bengal will start Saturday’s game as the favourites since they already ‘won’ the first encounter of this season. Currently enjoying the top position in the league table with 39 points from 19 matches, East Bengal are very much the favourites to win this season’s I-League title. It is quite clear that Trevor James Morgan and his boys will try to give their best to win the derby since a win here will keep Churchill Brothers under huge pressure, who are now in the second position in the table with 38 points from 17 matches.

Though the countdown has already started and the heat of the game has already begun to spread, let’s take a look at how East Bengal can dominate Saturday’s derby:

1. Play your natural game: Not thinking very much about Mohun Bagan’s strike force comprising Tolgay and Odafa, East Bengal should play their natural attacking game from the start of the match. It has been seen a couple of times that if the opponent team dominates the midfield while playing against Mohun Bagan, then it became very tough for Tolgay and Odafa to get the desired supplies from the middle. As Mohun Bagan’s midfield isn’t their strong point, East Bengal should take advantage and dominate the midfield via Mehtab, Penn and Harmanjot Khabra.

2. Start the match with Lalrindika Ralte and Sanju Pradhan: East Bengal’s coach Trevor James Morgan should include Lalrindika Ralte and Sanju Pradhan in the starting XI as both these players are quite comfortable in spreading the game in the the wings. Also, they are capable of making good crosses into the opponent’s box. If Morgan starts with just Chidi up front and allows Penn to support Chidi and also work in the midfield, then it will be difficult for Mohun Bagan’s defence and their midfield to cope with East Bengal.

3. Uga Okpara has to be back at his best: Uga Okpara is the life of East Bengal’s defence. Despite having a good start in this season, this supreme Nigerian defender has been off-colour in some important matches for East Bengal, like against Dempo, Prayag and Churchill Brothers. If Tolgay and Odafa try to build the momentum and go for goals, then East Bengal has to rely deeply on Okpara. If he can manage to play his best, then it will not be too tough for the Red and Gold brigade to keep a clean sheet.

Uga Okpara

4. Keep the pressure on Mohun Bagan’s dodgy defence: For Mohun Bagan, this season has not been good at all. Just like their attack force, their defence is also very week. As a result, Mohun Bagan concedes goals very easily. Nirmal Chhetri, Rahim Nabi, Meherajuddin are not at their best. Despite thinking very much about the ‘derby’ tag on the game, if East Bengal can go in with an all-out attack policy, then it will not be too hard for Chidi and Penn to torment the Mohun Bagan’s shaky defence.

5. Make suitable substitutions: East Bengal’s coach Trevor James Morgan has to be very cautious about his substitutions and their timing. It has been seen in a couple of big games that he takes a lot of time to bring in substitution. On Saturday, he should not wait for a long time to make substitutions. He should bring Robin or Andrew Barisic as soon as possible, if he needs them.

Violence in the 1st leg in December has led to tighter security in the Kolkata derby this time around.

The Kolkata derby on February 9 is going to be somewhat different from any other Kolkata derby which has happened before. Mohun Bagan, who are in charge of hosting the match, have requested the state government to make the security tight as far as possible, as they do not want any repetition of any such incident, which occurred on December 9, 2012.

Mohun Bagan is going to take on their arch rivals East Bengal in the return leg this Saturday. As per the latest news, there is going to be some changes in the rules and regulations for the fans. Along with those rules and regulations, supporters will have to enter the stands through a three-tier security arrangement. For the first time in Yuba-Bharati Stadium, food stalls will be set up. If you are a fan and are thinking to go in the stadium, then here are some arrangements which you should be aware of:

1. You have to enter through a three-tier security arrangements. Police, Private security and Scout and Guides will examine your ticket.
2. Police has already identified nine zones and closed those points to avoid trespassing.
3. There will be CCTV cameras in each and every stand. So don’t think about throwing anything.
4. Like ‘Steward’, policemen will always keep a close look in the gallery.
5. No food item or water bottle will be allowed to be taken inside the stadium. Three food stalls will be present from where you have to purchase food. Water pouches will be supplied by the host team Mohun Bagan.
6. Don’t bring any things like umbrella, wine bottle, knife, blade, match and cracker. Otherwise, you will not get the permission to enter the stands.

It’s not like Kolkata’s Yuba-Bharati Stadium to accommodate 120,000 people in the stand. It’s not like Europe’s Old Trafford or Santiago Bernabeu, stadiums known for their rich history and glory. But certainly this small Kalyani Stadium is going to add some extra flavour to Kolkata football, as well as to the Indian Football. If in near future the All India Football Federation organizes any international match in this stadium, then it will not be a surprise to me.

With a capacity of approximately 10 thousand people, the Kalyani stadium is now considered one of the best stadiums in India, with a natural grass turf. Once during an interview with India Times, AIFF’s technical director Rob Baan expressed his desire to set up a football academy in this newly made Kalyani Stadium.

“I have been roaming in India since last two months to visit good football ground and infrastructure to establish football academies and the ground of Kalyani Stadium is the best in India,” he said.

Recently, the four Kolkata giants East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Prayag United and Mohammedan Sporting have preferred to use the Kalyani Stadium to host most of their matches, instead of the Salt Lake stadium, which is an astro-turf field.

Let’s take a look at some reasons why this stadium is better than any other in India.

1. Like other football academies, this stadium is built with a swimming pool, gym, residential accommodation and schools for junior footballers.

2. As it is a natural grass turf, playing on this field is much easier for the players in terms of controlling the ball.

3. Being a normal grass turf, this field decreases the possibility of getting injured.

4. As 10,000 people can be accommodated in the stands, there is a greater probability that the stadium will be filled completely.

Though floodlights have not been incorporated into the stadium till now, if they do get installed soon then who knows. One day, the people of Kolkata will be able to see some European clubs or international teams play in this stadium.

Kolkata giants East Bengal went to the top in the I-League table as they beat the comparatively younger and inexperienced Pailan Arrows 2-1, the Arrows failing to take advantage of 10-man East Bengal today at the Kalyani Stadium. While Churchill’s bad performances in their last two matches closed the gap between them and East Bengal, East Bengal’s win over Pailan Arrows keeps the pressure on Churchill, who are right now in second position, with 38 points from 17 matches. East Bengal are now on top of the league table with 39 points from 19 matches. Pailan remain in 9^th position in the league table, with 19 points from 18 games.

East Bengal’s fourth foreigner Andrew Barisic got the opportunity to start, but could not able to impress at all. Pailan Arrows took the lead in the 2^nd minute of the match. Alwyn George scored the goal from a long throw ball by Vishal Kumar. It was his second goal in this season so far. 5 minutes later, East Bengal got a penalty, and Chidi did not fail to convert it. It was his 19^th goal of the season, and his 14^th in the I-League. The score line became 1-1.

East Bengal attacked the most in the first half. In the 14^th minute, Chidi got a chance to earn his team the lead, but failed to capitalise, as his header was superbly saved by the Pailan Arrows custodian. The Pailan goal-keeper made some crucial saves throughout the match, as otherwise it is quite sure that the score line would have been different. In the 22^nd minute, Chidi’s shot flew over the post. Andrew Barisic, though failing to impress, took a 31^st minute strike from midfield that surprised the Arrows’ goalkeeper.

The very next minute, Lalrindika Ralte extended the lead for East Bengal with a close range volley from a deflected pass from Edeh Chidi. In the 44^th minute, a scrabble for the ball almost gave an Arrows player a chance to equalize, but it did not materialise.

Pailan changed their tactics in the second half as they were seen to play a more passing style of football. In the 48^th minute, Pronay Halder’s shot straight went to Abhijit, who gathered it comfortably. In the 58^th minute East Bengal were so close to get their third goal, but failed to do so as Subodh kumar and Chidi both got the opportunity to score but could not beat the Arrows’ defense. The East Bengal coach replaced his three men in quick succession, as he brought Manandeep, Mehtab and Penn Orji in place of the unimpressive Barisic, Subodh Kumar and Cavin Lobo respectively.

East Bengal missed some half chances in the second half. In the 69^th minute Penn failed to convert a free header from Naoba’s cross. Lalrindika Ralte went for his second in the 72nd minute, but his shot flew over the post. In the 74^th minute, there was chaos in the Pailan box between Manandeep and Pronay Halder. Manandeep took him down, and as a result the referee showed Manandeep a red card and gave him his marching orders.

In spite of getting a chance to play against 10-man East Bengal for 16 more minutes, Pailan Arrows failed to equalize. They created a genuine goal-scoring chance in the fourth minute of injury time, but failed to covert.

Andrew Barisic (FILE PHOTO)

We still have to wait for another 8 games to know whether East Bengal would be able to capture their dream or not. British coach Trevor James Morgan had expressed his feelings a couple of weeks ago about not being able to fulfil his desire this season. But at the same time, leaders Churchill Brothers’ draw against Mumbai FC and their defeat against Sporting Clube de Goa today is surely going to give the Kolkata giants a chance to close the points gap between them and Churchill. Their coach who has won many trophies in his coaching career with East Bengal, but doesn’t have any I-League title under his belt, would want to make the most out of this opportunity.

East Bengal got the desired start this season in the I-League with consecutive wins, but lack of in-form strikers has really been a problem for the Red & Gold Brigade. The problem is still there and as a result, East Bengal missed some genuine goal-scoring opportunities in their previous few matches. Robin Singh and Manandeep’s inconsistency led the British coach to rely solely on his foreign striker Edeh Chidi, who, despite being on the second position in the list of top goal scorers in I-League, wasn’t able to play his natural game so far as the extra pressure of dragging the East Bengal forward line left a significant mark on his game. Also, we have seen that Chidi’s partnership with Robin and Manandeep didn’t click well in the matches so far. Meanwhile, East Bengal has just signed their fourth foreigner and striker Andrew Barisic, who has huge experience of playing in some reputed clubs in Australia as well as Germany. Though he has played only a single game so far, his inclusion in the team might solve the frontline problem for East Bengal.

Penn Orji, who bagged the award of East Bengal player of the season in the previous season, hasn’t been lucky this season as his form was not impressive at all in the matches so far. It may be possible that he just needs a little bit of rest as he has led the East Bengal midfield in all the games since last season. Also, it might be possible that opponent coaches are have got a hold of Morgan’s tactical movements and how he use Penn in the mid-field and the wing as a free player.

Barisic might solve this problem as other clubs’ coaches are not familiar with his tactics and skills. Besides his huge experience, he might also add some extra sharpness in the East Bengal forward line up. If he can have a good understanding with Chidi and Mehtab, then it is quite possible that Churchill will be under immense pressure, as the Kolkata giant are desperate to get their dream, the I-League title.

Alok Mukherjee

Mohammedan Sporting coach Alok Mukherjee resigned from his post today, after he sent his resignation letter to the club officials this afternoon. After losing a couple of matches in the Calcutta Football League, some officials of the club weren’t much pleased with their coach’s performance. One of the officials had also raised question about his tactics and management of the team. As a result, the sensitive Alok Mukherjee sent his letter to the officials.

A couple of months earlier also, there was a rumour spread about his resignation from his post and that Raghu Nandi was to take charge in place of him. But after a couple of good performances, the scenario changed and he continued at his post. But Mohammedan’s recent form was a big worry for their officials as they are trying their best to lift their club to I-League next season. But it seems that the club officials need to search for another coach to take charge of their team.

Meanwhile, rumour spread that Subrata Bhattacharya might be the next man to take charge of the Mohammedan team. But some of the club officials think that if they talk with Alok Mukherjee, then there is a possibility that he might change his decision.