When Stephen Constantine faced the media for the first time as the East Bengal FC gaffer, he expressed his desire to formulate a formidable outfit that would be "difficult to beat". However, under his reign, the Red and Gold Brigade suffered their worst defeat record in the ISL since their introduction.
It wouldn't be harsh to argue that Constantine ultimately failed to realize his ambitions. But his successor, Carles Cuadrat, whether with an intention or without it, has managed to transform East Bengal into a mighty team, which aren't whipped left and right even on their worst days. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, the Torchbearers are yet to lose a single fixture by a margin of more than a single goal.
But their previously established resilience hasn't yielded the most fruitful results in the Indian Super League (ISL). While they've now reached the finals of two major club competitions this season, EBFC are hovering at the lowly eighth position in the league. They've just suffered two defeats in the ISL but have ended up dropping points on multiple occasions against teams, whom they were touted to have an upper hand against.
So let's do a deep dive into why there's a contrast in East Bengal's performance across league and cup competitions.
An analytical look at East Bengal's performance in the ISL and the club competitions
On Sunday, Cuadrat's men will play out their second final of the 2023-24 season. After topping their group and delivering a clinical performance against Jamshedpur FC in the semi-final of the Kalinga Super Cup 2024, East Bengal, irrespective of Sunday's result, have already exceeded the expectations of their faithfuls.
The Torchbearers marched through their group with three straight victories, including a 3-1 trouncing of arch-rivals Mohun Bagan SG. The run is reminiscent of the club's exploits in the Durand Cup earlier in the season. After kicking off their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Bashundhara Kings, EBFC stitched together successive victories against their noisy neighbours and then Punjab FC. Thus, they finished at the top of the standings and edged past Gokulam Kerala and NorthEast United in the quarters and semis, respectively.
In the final, despite gaining a man advantage in the second half, East Bengal failed to capitalize and suffered an agonizing 1-0 defeat. But considering it had just been slightly over a month since Cuadrat took charge, the club had already overperformed on everyone's expectations. The performances in the Super Cup have been a refined version of the previous club competition.
Meanwhile, in ISL, East Bengal have just two victories in 10 matches. Considering their performances in plenty of matches that ended in narrow defeats or stalemates, the team have been massively underperforming in the league. In three matches, they have dropped points from winning positions with two ending in defeats. Furthermore, in fixtures that are usually considered favorable in terms of the form charts, EB have dropped points against three of the four teams who lie below them in the standings.
The mentality switch that East Bengal are failing to adapt to in the league
While we have established the gulf in performance across league and cup competitions, it's time to attempt to underline a few reasonings behind the phenomenon. As we go lower down in the food chain of football leagues, the ability of teams to perform at a certain level over an extended period continues to decrease. Thus, game management becomes paramount in phases.
Clubs who have displayed the aforementioned quality have reigned supreme in league football across continents. When it comes to protecting a lead and managing the game after pulling ahead, East Bengal have often come out second best. There have been plenty of instances where Cuadrat's men have conceded clumsy goals to neutralize their hard-earned lead. Or in other instances, they haven't notched up their performance a gear higher to kill the game from a commanding position.
Be it for the lack of leaders across the pitch or an inability to switch their mentality, the Red and Gold Brigade has been prone to ill-judging the situation of the match.
However, in cup competition, where every fixture counts as a final, Cuadrat has been able to hammer home a "kill or get killed" attitude into his players, which has given rise to an indomitable fighting spirit. The visible hunger has allowed players to carve out victories even from the clasp of defeat. A prime example would be the Hyderabad FC clash in the Super Cup. After dominating almost the entirety of the first half, the Kolkata Giants conceded one clumsy goal after another to drag the match into a 2-2 affair until Saul Crespo settled it in the 80th minute.
Unsurprisingly, in a cup game, there's no mist of doubt around the eventual ambition and thus, East Bengal have found it easier to deal with.
A possibility of the momentum factor hindering East Bengal FC's ISL 2023-24 campaign
Another important off-field factor in deciding the result of a tie is the momentum that a side brings to a clash. While a win is capable of boosting confidence ahead of the upcoming fixture, a loss can, on the other hand, ignite hunger to salvage lost pride. But for these psychological factors to play out in the larger scheme of things, it's important for players to focus on their next assignment immediately after.
An extended break can often lead players into basking in the glory of the victory for far too long and becoming complacent or soaking in the negativity of defeat and complicating the basics. Specifically in the ISL, East Bengal's matches have been scheduled at irregular intervals. After their third league match, which ended in a defeat against Bengaluru, the players were out of action for over two weeks. A similar break followed after their fourth and fifth league games too. It wasn't until their final three matches of the first phase that the Torchbearers had a steady run of fixtures without prolonged breaks.
While for most parts, such uncontrollable factors are merely considered excuses, here, there's a case to be made for the lengthy gaps playing a part in diluting East Bengal's momentum. Unlike the league competition, the cup matches arrive thick and fast and the Cuadrat's men have taken a real liking to the packed fixtures. In the Super Cup, they have played four matches within 15 days and will play another with a three-day gap.
In the second half of the ISL season, when the matches are expected to be packed tight, the momentum factor can play a huge part in overturning their abject fortunes in the league. If the club can break into the knockout spots and the final few details are ironed out by Cuadrat, East Bengal might transcend from being a team "difficult to beat" to a bunch impossible to stop.
