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What’s the story?
I-League giants Mohun Bagan are said to be mulling over the possibility of releasing star Ansumana Kromah, after a string of poor performances by the Liberian forward in the ongoing I-League season.
In case you didn’t know…
Mohun Bagan have been on a poor run of form this season, managing only three wins from their nine games so far. With just 13 points on board, the Mariners are staring down the barrel of a mid-table finish, something that is not desirable for a club that is expected to challenge for the title every season.
The Heart of the matter
Mohun Bagan's poor form has attracted a lot of criticism from everywhere, as the club went on a four-match winless streak, till last week. The last of these four matches was a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of struggling club Chennai City FC, who were reduced to 10 men.
This loss was followed by a dramatic resignation by former coach Sanjoy Sen, who was soon replaced by his former assistant Shankarlal Chakraborty. While Shankarlal did get the Mariners back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over defending champions Aizawl FC, they slumped to their second loss of the season at the hands of Minerva Punjab.
This loss has not gone down too well with the supporters or the club management, and the Green and Maroon brigade is now said to be looking at the possibility of releasing Kromah, in order to free up space in their squad to bring in another quality foreign player, according to sources close to the club.
What’s next?
While Bagan have a 10-day break to lick their wounds after the Minerva game, they would be wary of the fact that they will face some of the most difficult oppositions from the I-League in their next three matches, the first of with is the Derby against their arch-rivals East Bengal. That is followed by two away fixtures against Aizawl FC and Shillong Lajong.
Author’s take:
While they were expected to give a strong title challenge this season, especially with Bengaluru FC shifting to the ISL, Bagan have flattered to deceive, and have only looked potent when their captain and star attacker Sony Norde has been fit. However, with Norde sitting out injured, Bagan look toothless in attack, and lack the inspiration they need, to go the extra yard and win the matches.
