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Where the game was lost
Devadas and Debnath could never get a foothold in the middle of the park
It’s said that games are won or lost at the middle of the park and so was the case on this occasion as well. The difference in class between the centre midfield of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal was wider than the gap parted by Moses in the Red Sea. A rather immobile Odafa couple with an out-of-position Debnath and Denson Devadas were no match for the guile and movement of Ralte, Mehtab and Lobo. Although ineffective in the final third, they ruled the centre of the pitch with utmost conviction and authority. If there is one place which Bagan should be desperate to build upon, it’s the central midfield which has let them down for years none can even fathom to count.
Missed trick?
Katsumi Yusa cut a forlorn figure for much of the game
Bencharifa in his post-match press conference uttered that he had anticipated East Bengal to come out all guns blazing in the first half after hearing concerns about their fitness in the pre-match conference from their coach. That was certainly the case in the first period as East Bengal bossed possession in the first half. Bagan needed someone to control and run with the ball. That is where Katsumi Yusa lacked to make a mark in the game. Posted on the left of the midfield, Yusa featured rarely the first half. Here is where the footballing IQ of the midfield comes into question for the Bagan. The ones with the responsibility of spreading the ball around failed to recognize the matchup of Yusa against Naoba on the left and for his own part the Japanese didn’t show much enthusiasm to make himself available to Devdas & co. Only once was Yusa given the opportunity to have a go at Naoba one-on-one and quick footed Japanese took Naoba for a ride as he drove across to the goal and cut it back but not with success. That was however enough to set the cat amongst the pigeons in the East bengal defence even if that was for a brief moment. Even after impressing with his run the ball kept on coming to the right Sabeeth, who couldn’t get much change from an astute Soumik. Bagan’s distribution and awareness at the centre left much to be desired. Then again, when he was brought to the middle in the second he failed to get into the thick of things.
The golden rule and the golden boot
Odafa will again have to come up trumps if Bagan has any dream of any silverware even if the I-League looks beyond them
The golden rule of football is simple. The team with most goals wins. Even after amassing lion’s share of possession, no one is guaranteed a win until and unless they can flutter the back of the net. The biggest problem for Bagan this season in the I-League so far has been exactly that. In 9 games so far, the Mariners have been able to hit the back of the net on only 6 occasions. The absence of the man with the golden boot, Okolie Odafa has certainly not made things simpler and neither Katsumi nor Muranda has been able to take up the mantleof in his absence. They were again poor in front of goal as three clear cut chances went amiss as both Odafa and Muranda scuffed their opportunities to script a different ending. If Bagan is to make serious inroads in any competition this season, Odafa will have to again drag this team along for the ride.
Not a time to panic
Bencharifa has a lot on his hand but needs fans to be realistic with the situation at hand
This is certainly no time to panic for the Mariners. They did it last time during Bencharifa’s first tenure and the club has been set back time and again since then. This team has to be taken into context. Look back a few months and Bencharifa was in charge of a team that was discombobulated and an organization that had imploded. He was dealt a tough hand; tasked with not only salvaging the future of the club but also to bring some semblance of identity back to an organisation that was a rudderless ship. The results have been tough to come by but there is certainly an ideology building under the Moroccan.
There might not be much to boast upon right now but there certainly is a base. Expecting Bagan officials to make a good decision have nowadays become similar to expecting Justin Bieber to sing classical songs. But hey, even Bieber gives producers hit songs and there is a possibility even if it’s a little distance away that Bencharifa might be able cook up a team and a combination that becomes a hit. The silver lining may not be visible still, but they have to keep the faith that its there somewhere.
