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What's the story?
Newly appointed head coach of Mohun Bagan Shankarlal Chakraborty was not inclined to say much about their preparation ahead of their tie against Aizawl FC on Sunday but he said that the defending champions have a squad which is better than the previous season.
In case you didn't know...
Mohun Bagan is going through a very rough phase with their I-League winning coach stepping down from his post following a string of poor performance by the side. The ‘Mariners’ is without a win in the last four matches and losing their last match to Chennai City FC at their home ground.
The heart of the matter
Though Shankarlal was at the helm of affairs at Mohun Bagan in the Calcutta Football League, this will be the first time he will be in charge as a full-time coach of the team.
During the pre-match conference, he said, “After Aizawl won the I-League last season, most of their players along with the coach left the club and the squad was dismantled. This season, a team was made with the appointment of a new coach, and the way the team was re-built it is difficult to make out that most of the players from last year are missing. I feel this team is better than the one which won the I-League last year."
What's next?
After failing to secure a point in the previous encounter, which was also their first home loss in more than two years, the four-time Champions will be desperate to make a comeback and keep their title hopes alive. Injury problems hit them hard this season as a result of which their two foreign recruits, Yuta Kinowaki and Sony Norde is still out of action.
Author's take
The Mohun Bagan camp is eagerly waiting for their talismanic winger Sony Norde to make a comeback to their team. Needless to say, he is the best foreigner in the I-League for the past few years and has the capability to turn the fate of a match within seconds. Till then, the Kolkata giants have to make the best out of their available resources.
