I-League 2017: East Bengal: A Tactical Analysis
With an exceptionally strong midfield and an equally talented forward and defence, East Bengal are one of the contenders for the I-League this season. With the AIFF all but confirming that this is possibly the last season of the I-League, both East Bengal fans and officials will be desperate to lay their hands on the trophy which they haven’t won since 2004.
Under the tutelage of the experienced Trevor James Morgan, the Red and Gold brigade have created a team capable of beating anyone on a given day. Let’s have a look at the squad:
Squad analysis
In Ivan Bukenya, they have a physically commanding centre-back who can outmuscle almost every forward in the league. Wedson Anselme in attacking midfield is pivotal to the squad, in terms of picking out the correct pass and releasing players.
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Willis Plaza and Ildar Amirov provide the pace and finishing up front, and can be a handful for any defence. Among the Indians, the Bengal giants boast of the likes of Rowllin Borges and Mehtab Hossein in midfield, while Abinas Ruidas, Jackichand Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Lalrindika Ralte and David Lalrinmuawa provide the ammunition on the wide positions. Thongkhosiem Haokip and Robin Singh are back up options in case Plaza and Amirov hit a bad patch of form, or are injured.
Their backline is made up of the promising Narayan Das and Rahul Bheke as full-backs, while Arnab Mondal, Gurwinder Singh and Anwar Ali are options to partner Bukenya in the heart of the back four. Under the crossbar, TP Rehenesh is their first choice, while Subhasis Roy Chowdhury serves as the reserve goalkeeper.
Form
East Bengal went into the I-League having won the Calcutta Football League for the 7th time in a row – something that had never been done before. The ISL saw several players leave for various franchises, and a couple of them even lifted the trophy with Atletico de Kolkata. The team did not get much time to gel together, as the overseas players flew into the city only a few days before their first game.
Moreover, the sudden disappearance of Simon Maltby, their physio, caused a lot of problems as well, because many of their footballers carried niggles and injuries from the ISL. East Bengal drew their first game at home to Aizawl FC and won away to DSK Shivajians in Pune and Churchill Brothers in Goa on the bounce.
The Calcutta club now have 7 points from 3 games, and are 3rd on the table, just behind Bengaluru FC and Mohun Bagan. Despite garnering all 6 points on the road, East Bengal look unsettled and have a lot of issues to address if they want to go all the way this year.
Defence
TP Rehenesh has been solid under the sticks, but the absence of Arnab Mondal has been hurting the back line. Anwar Ali is a good choice as back up, but Gurwinder Singh looks completely out of sorts and must be relegated to the bench as soon as possible.
The latter has not only scored an own goal, but had almost given Churchill the lead after a disastrous back pass. Ivan Bukenya has a colossal frame, but he is no Uga Okpara and can be caught out by nimble-footed forwards.
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Moreover, Rahul Bheke’s poor form is a major source of concern as well. Narayan Das has been consistent with his performances, but his unwillingness to join the forwards while in possession reduces the team’s attacking threat.
Forwards
Willis Plaza has looked a real livewire up front, and scored a deciding goal (the winner against DSK) in just 3 appearances already. The Trinidad and Tobago forward has quick feet and great pace and is capable of stretching defences. However, apart from him, no one looks up to the task so far.
Haokip has got a goal but he drifts in and out of games, while Robin Singh was exceptionally poor at Maharashtra. Amirov made his bow against Churchill, but he was on the field for too short a time to make any judgements. Morgan must find a suitable partner for Plaza, and Haokip seems like the best bet right now.
Midfielders
This is where the actual problem lies for the former National League champions. The midfield, which has a plethora of players looks disjointed and dysfunctional. Wedson has been played as a number 10, but he looked clueless as to what his job is. Nikhil Poojary and Lalrindika Ralte both look poor on the wings, while Abinas Ruidas has been featured irregularly and is now being punished by the club for poor off-field discipline.
So far, neither Jackichand nor David have featured consistently, which is surprising given Morgan’s preference for wing play. Mehtab Hossein has been decent as a holding midfielder, but benching Rowllin Borges is surprising, given his immense reputation in the local circuit. Again, the English coach’s strategy makes absolutely no sense.
In his first stint, the former Hull City assistant manager had utilised Penn Orji and Tolgay Ozbay as his key men during possession, with the former being employed as a free man in the team and had the license to play wherever he pleased.
This time, his tactics are frustratingly rigid, and could spell disaster for his side once they start meeting quality opposition. They face Bengaluru FC in their next match at the Barasat Stadium, and given the manner in which the champions have started their season, they could well overrun East Bengal’s midfield and humiliate them.
Verdict
Mehtab will miss the next match against the Blues as he has picked up two yellow cards already, while Anwar will be out due to an injury that he picked up in the last game. It will be interesting to see how they are replaced by Morgan, who knows that a win in this game will see his side not only break into the top 2, but also deliver a firm message to the pundits and critics.
However, it is hard to see from where they will find the inspiration, and how they can stop the likes of CK Vineeth, Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Sunil Chettri. The Bengal giants may have made a strong start to their campaign, but their real test begins from here and they will need to make wholesome changes to their style and mentality if they want to end the season with the coveted title in their hands.