What’s the story?
It has been an eventful week for all those associated with East Bengal. Having seen their title ambitions disappear out once again, the club’s supporters had gathered at the club tent to protest against the way the club is being run. The protest had a severe effect on everyone: from the coach to the management to the players; and saw some significant changes occurring inside the club management.
Ahead of facing Minerva Punjab in their last I-League home game, East Bengal and Indian national team defender Arnab Mondal, who missed a large part of the season due to injury, spoke to leading Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika about everything that has been going around the century-old outfit.
“We must return to form soon, and we see the last leg of fixtures as the best option to do so. What has happened has happened, and hopefully happened for the best. The Federation Cup is up next and we must do our best to win it,” quipped Mondal.
In case you didn’t know...
It has been a season of disappointments for the Red and Gold brigade. They started their campaign off nicely by winning the Kolkata League for the 7th year in a row and continued that form in the first half of the I-League. The Kolkata giants beat defending champions Bengaluru FC home and away and were leading the league table at one point.
However, an inexplicable drop in form since then, which included losses to DSK Shivajians, Mohun Bagan, Churchill Brothers and Chennai FC has seen them bow out of the title challenge, and a plethora of controversies have engulfed the club since then.
The heart of the matter
Trevor James Morgan’s resignation saw Mridul Banerjee appointed as the next coach, but the former Mohammedan SC manager ruptured his ligaments during training and had to quit. As such, the club’s technical committee promoted assistant coach Ranjan Chowdhury as the interim manager. Over The last few days, everyone at the club has been taking a hands-on approach with the players so that they can get over the failed league campaign and focus on the upcoming Cup competition.
Also read: 5 ideal replacements to coach East Bengal on a long-term basis
What’s next?
East Bengal plays Mumbai FC away as the last game of their season after their recent 3-0 win over Minerva. With the title gone, the focus now shifts on the Federation Cup which will be held in Cuttack next month. With disappointment writ large on the campain this season, there is bound to be major reshuffling in the squad for the next season as well, so it will be interesting to see who stays and who goes.
Author’s take
Arnab’s rallying call is certainly admirable, given he is one of the senior players in the squad and that in testing times like these, one requires leadership both on and off the match. The Red and Gold Brigade have won the Federation Cup eight times so far, and they will be desperate to add one more to their tally to bring a smile on the faces of their forlorn supporters.
However, it will be a much tougher task than it sounds, and sides like Mohun Bagan, Aizawl FC and Bengaluru FC, will all be eager to take a bite at the cherry, so it will be interesting to see if East Bengal can actually deliver or not.
