4 turning points in Sunday's Kolkata Derby

#2 Strategic error by Sanjoy Sen

Sanjoy Sen made a tactical error by leaving Yusa on the bench

Before the match, Mohun Bagan Sanjay Sen said he could field big Haitian Judelin Aveska to stop Korean midfielder Do Dong. He also chalked out a formation including Nigerian striker Dudu, which meant their fast running midfielder Katsumi Yusa would have to be sidelined. Sanjay executed the same, but unfortunately, it was Aveska who made the first mistake. Throughout the match, his contribution was nothing except a volley in East Bengal box, which lacked power and Luis Barreto easily grabbed it.

Secondly, the absence of Katsumi Yusa was starkly visible in the first half. Katsumi, who has a quick run, is the main supply line behind Mohun Bagan’s all attack. Being a prolific winger, Katsumi knows when and how to run to keep the opponent’s defence busy. But with his absence, Dudu was not getting enough passes in the first half. The lone cross which he got from Tirthankar Sarkar, was wasted brutally.

Thirdly, Sanjay’s inexperienced midfield showed poor performance. The coach was hugely depended upon midfield maestro Lalkamal Bhowmick. But after conceding two goals, Lalkamal couldn’t hold his emotion and was guilty of repeatedly losing his temper, which resulted a yellow card (he later got the second after pushing referee in the tunnel after the match was over).