East Bengal's tactical set-up: How Stephen Constantine may use Charis Kyriakou in the team

Indian Super League outfit East Bengal FC have roped in Charis Kyriakou on a one-year deal. He will join the club from Bengal for the 2022-23 season as a replacement for Franjo Prce.

The Cypriot is a good addition to the squad of the Torch-bearers. The club recruited him upon recommendation from their coach Stephen Constantine. It will be interesting to see how Stephen Constantine uses him during EBFC's campaign this season.

East Bengal FC is one of India's most successful football clubs. They have three NFL (later renamed I-League) championships and eight Federation Cups.

They were just the second Indian team to reach the AFC Cup semi-finals and the only Indian club to win an international title (ASEAN Cup 2003). East Bengal is also known for giving a platform to young bright Indian players who went on to become national team heroes.

Famous names on the list include Bhaichung Bhutia, Sunil Chettri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Subrata Pal, and many more.

East Bengal, on the other hand, have had a difficult time in recent seasons. In the previous two seasons, they finished ninth and eleventh. So, this season, they're attempting to assemble a powerful group capable of challenging for the championship and living up to their reputation.

Charis Kyriakou has represented Cyprus National team on 12 occasions

Having started his career at Omonia Nikosia, Kyriakou was a part of their youth squad in the 2008 season. He was included in their senior team in the 2008-09 season. Afterwards, he played for a number of Cypriot top division clubs. He turned out for Doxa Katokopias, Ethnikos and AEL Limassol.

Overall, he has played 128 matches in the Cypriot top division. He also has experience of playing in the UEFA Europa league on two occasions. He won the Cyprian top division league for Omonia Nicosia and played a pivotal part for Omonia Nikosia and AEL Limassol in winning the Cyprian Cup Championship.

Kyriakou also has the experience of playing for his nation at international level. He has represented the Cyprus National team on 12 occasions. He was an important part of the Cyprus National team in the UEFA Nations league 2020.

Charis Kyriakou fits ideally in long ball tactics of Stephen Constantine

Charis Kyriakou mainly plays as a sideback but he can also play both as a centre-back and winger. Stephen Constantine is famous for his long-ball counter-attacking tactics. Kyriakou fits perfectly in that system.

Based on last season's data, it seems that he has won most of the aerial duels. It's an impressive thing about him. This will help EBFC avoid any kind of danger from set pieces. He also had very good passing accuracy last season. His ball distribution will help the midfielders initiate attacks from the defense.

He loves to make forward runs from the defense. If he cannot recover in time, then the opposition team may easily take advantage of the free space and may hit East Bengal on the counter attacks. This is his 1st venture outside Cyprus. Hence, he may have adaptability problems in India.

The Cypriot was out of the matchday squad from October 2021 to January 2022. He struggled a bit to get back into the main team after that. He may have had some injuries during that period, though no data is available regarding that. So his fitness condition is a reason to worry EB fans.

But if we keep the negative points aside, Kyriakou looks like a very good signing for East Bengal FC. It will be interesting to see how Constantine utilizes him in the defense.