East Bengal need a win to remain in title hunt

Things have gone awry for East Bengal since the last time they met Mohun Bagan in an I-League match. The performance has dipped so badly that murmurs are being heard about another season without the I-league title. While in February the fans were expecting the I-League title after a long drought, now in April there is a sense of despondency. They are no longer at the top, currently lying third in the standings behind leaders Salgaocar and Churchill Brothers.For Bagan this season has gone from bad to worse. They have not won a single trophy this season and their best chance of winning one came in the IFA Shield. But that was scuppered by Churchill Brothers. It has given such a killing blow to the players’ morale that Bagan are finding it difficult to motivate them on the eve of the 21st round match. Poor form of key players, injuries and lack of success have made the Bagan camp look very lacklustre.

In fact most of the club officials and the players are hoping for the season to end and start afresh in the 2011-2012. Bagan technical director Subhas Bhowmick though was at his rhetorical best on Friday. “No trophies? Big deal. Mohun Bagan can afford to have a season without trophies. The club’s aura and prestige will be affected. Even Real Madrid, who spend millions on signing big players have not won anything in the last two seasons,” he said. The fans, taken in by Bhowmick’s Real-Bagan parallel clapped. It will not be surprising if Bhowmick takes a defensive strategy against the arch-rivals on Saturday. The practice session on Friday morning at the club ground, gave enough hint that Bagan will take a safety-first approach at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday. But the surprise was Ashim Biswas playing as a right half and Kingshuk Debnath on the left. While Ashim is striker, Debnath is more comfortable as a right back. Bhowmick though refused to divulge his plans in the pre-match conference and said what was seen on the eve might not be there on the match day. Bagan are fretting over Jose Ramirez Barreto’s fitness. Barreto picked up an injury on his left calf muscle some weeks back and is yet to recover fully. He had a 10-minute practice session on Thursday and, on Friday, he did some jogging before calling it a day. He however said that he would play. “I am definitely playing a part.”

The Brazilian may not start but could be brought in if the situation demands. East Bengal, however, have no major injury problem and that gives them some advantage. But the red and gold camp is fearing that Bagan, like in their last meeting, may be very physical and that may upset their rhythm. The focus on Friday was on Australian striker Tolgay Ozebe who scored a stunning hattrick against Air India in the last match. He will be the dangerman once again and the likes Deepak Mondal and Anwar will have to be on their toes. If Tolgay is in rousing form, his friend and partner-in-crime Robin Singh is having a lean patch. And coach Trevor James Morgan, on Friday hinted that Baljit Sahni may partner Tolgay. Sahni is fast, has a very good positional sense and he can complement Tolgay very well. “We have not been upto the mark in the last couple of months but the players will take confidence from the Air India win. I have told my players not to take Bagan lightly because since they have not won against us this season they will come hard on us. They have nothing to lose and that makes them really dangerous,” Morgan said. All said and done, East Bengal will have to win to stay in title hunt, but for Bagan a draw will be enough. A victory though in the season’s last Derby clash will give them the right to brag.