What? : I-League Match Day Two. Where? : Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata. When? : 18.30 Hours IST.
East Bengal faces Mumbai FC in the opening fixture of round two of the I-League at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata later this evening.
East Bengal
Whatever demons were haunting the East Bengal side, the fans hoped that with the new coach in Stanley Rosario, they would be driven away.
It did in the first game but it will be too soon to start applauding the Kolkata side. They top the I-League table after round one but their opening encounter was against Chirag United.
Not that Chirag are a poor side but without their foreigners, they looked a second string side. Agreed that it was the same Chirag side which beat East Bengal a few weeks back, but such results aren’t to be expected every week.
Three early goals, each from defensive mistakes by Chirag United back four, meant East Bengal would cruise to victory but that wasn’t to be as they weren’t as sharp in the second half as in the first.
The ploy of playing Yakubu in the midfield worked for Stanley Rosario. Renedy Singh and Surkumar Singh were exceptional and so, was Chhetri.
Consistency has been an issue with East Bengal and they need to keep the winning momentum going in order to be considered as the strong contenders for the title.
Mumbai FC
The spirit in this camp is high especially after the 2-1 victory over Mohun Bagan in their opening I-League fixture. It wasn’t that they struggled to victory or were under par to Bagan.
Nor can one say that Bagan had a poor game. It was Mumbai FC who outthought the Kolkata League champions and came out with three points.
At the start of the league, no one would have billed them as favourites and the ‘underdog’ tag seems to have worked for them. They have quietly been working and came out with a strong performance.
The most notable being Aseem and Subhash, on the flanks, as they provided good service to their foreign strikers.
But it’s just one game and as David Booth said, of taking each game at a time, if they stick to this mantra then they can surely surprise everyone. This is the biggest plus of having an experienced coach who can keep the boys motivated as well as grounded in reality.
Form Guide
Mohun Bagan
26th September ’08 East Bengal 3-1 Chirag United (I-League)
12th September East Bengal 1-1 Mohun Bagan (Kolkata League)
8th September East Bengal 3-1 Peerless (Kolkata League)
Mumbai FC
27th September ’08 Mohun Bagan 1-2 Mumbai FC (I-League)
2nd September ’08 Mumbai FC 0-1 Army XI (Durand Cup)
31st August ’08 Mahindra United 1-1 Mumbai FC (Durand Cup)
Team News
East Bengal are still without Alvito D’Cunha while Dharamjit Singh is also working on his fitness. Sunil Chhetri, who suffered a knock on his ankle in the opening game and hasn’t trained ever since, shall most probably be missing the game. Mumbai FC have a few niggling injuries but nothing notable.
Key Players
Yusif Yakubu operating from the middle of the park does sound odd but it worked for the Red and Gold’s in the opening game. He scored one and created the other. Mumbai FC need to keep his quiet.
Riston Rodrigues wasn’t talked about much in the Mumbai FC victory over Mohun Bagan but the Goan player has been a vital addition to David Booth’s side.
Key Areas
East Bengal would have to dominate the midfield and stop the supply for the Mumbai FC strikers. While East Bengal employs the traditional wingers who would stand and deliver the crosses, Mumbai FC have fast and quick players on the flanks.
The contrast in their playing style promises to be an entertaining encounter only if the pitch stays true. The Indian Football Association (IFA), which is the state football association of Bengal, and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) have realised the woeful conditions of Barasat and have shifted the game instead to Salt Lake Stadium.
Source:Goal.com
East Bengal faces Mumbai FC in the opening fixture of round two of the I-League at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata later this evening.
East Bengal
Whatever demons were haunting the East Bengal side, the fans hoped that with the new coach in Stanley Rosario, they would be driven away.
It did in the first game but it will be too soon to start applauding the Kolkata side. They top the I-League table after round one but their opening encounter was against Chirag United.
Not that Chirag are a poor side but without their foreigners, they looked a second string side. Agreed that it was the same Chirag side which beat East Bengal a few weeks back, but such results aren’t to be expected every week.
Three early goals, each from defensive mistakes by Chirag United back four, meant East Bengal would cruise to victory but that wasn’t to be as they weren’t as sharp in the second half as in the first.
The ploy of playing Yakubu in the midfield worked for Stanley Rosario. Renedy Singh and Surkumar Singh were exceptional and so, was Chhetri.
Consistency has been an issue with East Bengal and they need to keep the winning momentum going in order to be considered as the strong contenders for the title.
Mumbai FC
The spirit in this camp is high especially after the 2-1 victory over Mohun Bagan in their opening I-League fixture. It wasn’t that they struggled to victory or were under par to Bagan.
Nor can one say that Bagan had a poor game. It was Mumbai FC who outthought the Kolkata League champions and came out with three points.
At the start of the league, no one would have billed them as favourites and the ‘underdog’ tag seems to have worked for them. They have quietly been working and came out with a strong performance.
The most notable being Aseem and Subhash, on the flanks, as they provided good service to their foreign strikers.
But it’s just one game and as David Booth said, of taking each game at a time, if they stick to this mantra then they can surely surprise everyone. This is the biggest plus of having an experienced coach who can keep the boys motivated as well as grounded in reality.
Form Guide
Mohun Bagan
26th September ’08 East Bengal 3-1 Chirag United (I-League)
12th September East Bengal 1-1 Mohun Bagan (Kolkata League)
8th September East Bengal 3-1 Peerless (Kolkata League)
Mumbai FC
27th September ’08 Mohun Bagan 1-2 Mumbai FC (I-League)
2nd September ’08 Mumbai FC 0-1 Army XI (Durand Cup)
31st August ’08 Mahindra United 1-1 Mumbai FC (Durand Cup)
Team News
East Bengal are still without Alvito D’Cunha while Dharamjit Singh is also working on his fitness. Sunil Chhetri, who suffered a knock on his ankle in the opening game and hasn’t trained ever since, shall most probably be missing the game. Mumbai FC have a few niggling injuries but nothing notable.
Key Players
Yusif Yakubu operating from the middle of the park does sound odd but it worked for the Red and Gold’s in the opening game. He scored one and created the other. Mumbai FC need to keep his quiet.
Riston Rodrigues wasn’t talked about much in the Mumbai FC victory over Mohun Bagan but the Goan player has been a vital addition to David Booth’s side.
Key Areas
East Bengal would have to dominate the midfield and stop the supply for the Mumbai FC strikers. While East Bengal employs the traditional wingers who would stand and deliver the crosses, Mumbai FC have fast and quick players on the flanks.
The contrast in their playing style promises to be an entertaining encounter only if the pitch stays true. The Indian Football Association (IFA), which is the state football association of Bengal, and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) have realised the woeful conditions of Barasat and have shifted the game instead to Salt Lake Stadium.
Source:Goal.com
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