Mohun Bagan 1-1 East Bengal: 5 Talking Points

The giants of Indian football faced each other in round 3 of the Hero I-League with both looking to gain an upper hand in the race for the title. East Bengal began the game on the front foot while Sanjoy Sen’s men slowly and gradually made their way into the match. The flow was lacking in the game initially but things improved as time went by. The first half ended without any team hitting the back of the net.Both teams came into the second half looking to score and it was East Bengal who dealt the initial blow. Ranti scored from a long ball but his side failed to hold on to the advantage. Cornell Glen equalized for Mohun Bagan and the game ended 1-1.Here’s looking at the five talking points from the game:

#1 East Bengal\'s Strategy

East Bengal played long balls on many occasions

Earlier on in the season, Biswajit Bhattacharya’s men had played some slick passing football en route to their Calcutta League triumph. But today, that somehow wasn’t there.

East Bengal played the long ball on far too many occasions. Majority of these long balls came from the left wing where Bikash Jairu played a crucial role. However, his crosses weren’t met by the likes of Ranti Martins and Do Dong-Hyun.

In the first half, the Calcutta League champions enjoyed a session where they passed the ball around quite nicely but they just could not continue it. They came out in the second half and passed the ball well but the absence of Harmanjyot Khabra in midfield was clearly felt. All of this eventually led to Bhattacharya employing the long ball strategy.

However after trying for long, East Bengal scored from a long ball. Luciano Sabrosa misjudged the flight of the ball and Ranti Martins was there to slot home the goal.

#2 Balwant and AIFFs U-23 rule fallacy

Balwant Singh failed to deliver (Image Courtesy: mohunbaganac.com)

As per the AIFF rule book, all I-League teams are required to have a U-23 player in the starting eleven. The rule, however, does not state the minimum amount of time for which the player is expected to stay on the pitch.

Against East Bengal, Sanjoy Sen made the best use of this regulation. He started with the young Azharuddin Mullick but only played him for twelve minutes. The rule has been brought in to develop the young players and playing them in big games such as these will clearly work wonders. The AIFF has to work on this rule and ensure that coaches can’t bypass it in the manner in which it was done today.

The in-form Balwant Singh replaced Mullick but hardly delivered. For major parts of the game, he cut a lonely figure and hardly contributed. Stephen Constantine has often criticized the man from Punjab for his work ethic and the lack of it was seen today.

#3 Lenient referee

The fans flocked the stadium but the level of refereeing and football was not up to the mark

Apart from the scrappy football and the fouls, a key feature of the game was the referee’s leniency. In the past, referees have been criticized for flashing too many cards in this game but today it was the absolute opposite. It felt as if A.Rohan had left his cards at home!

In the first half, both sides committed a number of fouls with Luciano Sabrosa being one of the guilty parties. There were fouls from behind, slight nudges and also sliding tackles. It took almost an hour for A.Rohan to show his first yellow card. The fouls flew in the second half as well but the cards just weren’t shown. The likes of Mehtab Hussain, Saumik Dey and Luciano were lucky to stay on in the pitch.

Rohan did a good job in allowing the game to flow but he should have cracked down on those fouls pretty early. In that case, the players would have become cautious and the fouls would have decreased.

#4 The national team stars disappoint

Arnab Mondal did not have a great day

Apart from Bikash Jairu who was possibly East Bengal’s best player on the pitch, the national team stars failed to make much of an impression. Arnab Mondal clearly did not have a great day and is the one to blame for Mohun Bagan’s goal. Donning the captain’s armband, a lot was expected of Arnab but he failed to take on the responsibility and deliver.

For Mohun Bagan, midfielder Pronay Halder was also not at his very best. He mistimed a few tackles and made a few wrong passes. In the middle of the park, he did not really gel well with Shouvik Chakraborty and that led to the mariners relying too much on playing on the break.

However, one can say that Sanjoy Sen missed a trick or two by not bringing on Jeje earlier. The former Dempo man has been doing really well for the past few months and he could have been the national team star who could have made the difference today.

#5 How crucial are Sony Norde and Bernard Mendy for their respective sides?

Norde threatened the East Bengal goal on a number of occasions

The Haitian Sony Norde landed in Kolkata earlier this week and clearly did not have enough time to link up with his teammates. He appeared a bit rusty at times and failed to create a clear-cut chance via open play. However, there can be no denying that Norde was one of Bagan’s most potent threats today. He was crucial when Bagan hit on the break and the goal that came for Bagan was from a Norde cross.

Clearly, in the long run, Sony Norde holds the key for Bagan as they look to defend their crown. On the other hand, East Bengal desperately need their marquee man Bernard Mendy to arrive quickly. There has been no sign of the Frenchman so far but he is expected to land in Kolkata in a few days’ time.

Mendy is rock solid at the back and can play well in midfield. With him in their ranks, this East Bengal outfit could become a much more efficient and ruthless unit.