I-League 2018/19: 3 things Mohun Bagan need to address immediately to rescue their title bid

With half of the fixtures already played, Mohun Bagan finds themselves in a not so favourable position in the context of the I-League championship race.

After 10 rounds, the ‘Mariners’ have collected 15 points with 4 wins, 3 draws and as many losses. There is a short break before they take on Real Kashmir FC on January 6 next year in a home fixture at the Salt Lake Stadium.

With a disappointing 1-2 away loss to NEROCA FC on the last match day, Mohun Bagan will be eager to re-group ahead of the next match. More importantly, it will give injured players like Sony Norde, Pintu Mahata and Sourav Das ample of time to recover for the next set of matches.

The ‘green and maroon’ brigade now has a string of home matches in the first quarter of the new year. This will be a great opportunity for them to use the home advantage and grab as many points as possible, else it will be curtain drawn for their title aspirations at least for the ongoing season.

Let us have a look at 3 things Mohun Bagan need to address immediately to rescue their title bid:

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#3 Making use of opportunities

Dipanda Dicka and Henry Kisekka needs to do much better in the remainder of the season

In football, you need to make the best use of your opportunities, Mohun Bagan has fallen short of doing exactly that. It is high time that the team consisting of quality strikers like Henry Kisekka and Dipanda Dicka convert the half chances and capitalise.

Although Dipanda Dicka has scored four goals so far, he has missed more than a dozen chances to increase his tally. The striker has already become unpopular among the fans for his inconsistent performances.

The Cameroonian has been the highest goal scorer in the I-League for the past two seasons, but he needs to pick up his game this time otherwise he is bound to face the heat of the management.

Repeatedly, he has failed to impress apart from the goals which he scored. For a majority of the time in the ongoing I-League, he has wandered in the field helplessly up front and had no clue about what to do next.

Henry Kisekka and Omar Elhussieny have also had their share of wasted opportunities. Two of them have been the most hardworking performers for the century-old club this season, but they can only blame themselves for not getting the desired returns for their efforts.

Overall, the players need to give their best while they are wearing the green and maroon jersey, half-hearted efforts are not welcomed when you play for a club like Mohun Bagan!

#2 Casual approach after taking the lead

Sony Norde's strikes gave Mohun Bagan the lead in a couple of matches

During Mohun Bagan's season opener, Henry Kisekka’s goal took them ahead in the 40th minute. The visitors were on the course of a victory, but a lapse of concentration from Kim Kima led him to commit a silly own goal and eventually, the teams shared the spoils.

A similar incident happened in the following match where the ‘Mariners’ staged a brilliant comeback after trailing by a goal in for 15 minutes against Aizawl FC.

After a clinical strike by Sony Norde, the ‘green and maroon’ brigade was sniffing victory but a sensational free-kick from Aizawl FC’s David Lalrinmuana in the dying seconds of the match denied the hosts three points for a consecutive time.

Sony Norde was once again the saviour for his team scoring from a curler in the 50th minute of the match against the then league leaders Chennai City FC in the 50th minute. Casual approach by Shankarlal Chakraborty and his team let them down once again.

Egyptian playmaker Omar El Hussieny was benched in the closing stages of the match, which backfired for the team. Eventually, Nestor Gordillo equalised in the 81st minute to take away a vital away point for the South Indian team.

If that was not enough, there was more to come. Unfortunately, the occasion was the ‘Kolkata Derby.’Bagan drew the first blood against all odds in as early as the 13th minute by a joint effort by Omar El Hussieny and Azharuddin Mallik.

They managed to maintain the lead for just four minutes, as Laldanmawia Ralte made it 1-1 in the 17th-minute following which the match swung in East Bengal’s favour. Henry Kisekka and his team tend to become complacent just after scoring a goal or taking a lead. This is a very serious problem and it should be eradicated if they hope to win the I-League title.

#1 Disastrous defending

Eze Kingsley was sent off at the hour mark during the 'Kolkata Derby'

The back four has been shaky for Mohun Bagan from the start of the season. Saving Arijit Bagui, who has been a red-hot form till now, the rest of his compatriots at the back are not having a smooth run of play.

Surprisingly, their most experienced stopper Eze Kingsley’s performance has been under the scanner quite often, especially, his irresponsible play during the Kolkata Derby. The Nigerian conceded two yellow cards and was sent off on the brink of the hour mark. Mohun Bagan played the rest of the match with a man less and eventually lost.

Kingsley is not the only one at fault. Lalchawmkima, who played a pivotal role in Mohun Bagan’s Calcutta Football League triumph has been very inconsistent at the centre-back position.

On the other hand, coach Shankarlal Chakraborty fielded Dalraj Singh in a couple of matches. Although Punjab born impressed in their away match against Real Kashmir FC, he fared disastrously in the following match versus Churchill Brothers FC in a disappointing 0-3 loss at home.

Abhishek Ambekar has done fair work in the season so far but was injured for the game against NEROCA FC. Gurjinder Singh hardly did anything better, Mohun Bagan conceded a silly goal and lost the match.

The coach needs to settle the defence, a regular back four should be maintained, which will increase the understanding between them. Majority of the teams playing with two foreign defenders, Bagan need to find ways to make use of the limited resources.

It is always challenging to hold on to a 1 goal lead against any team, that’s an area where Shankarlal’s boys need to improve. There have been several instances where the Kolkata giants have faltered in the first half of the I-League and have cost them dearly.

Mohun Bagan could have easily found themselves in a better position if they hadn’t let their opponents invade their half so cheaply when the game should have been under their control.