I-League 2018/19: 3 things Mohun Bagan need to address immediately to rescue their title bid
With half of the fixtures already played, Mohun Bagan finds themselves in a not so favourable position in the context of the I-League championship race.
After 10 rounds, the ‘Mariners’ have collected 15 points with 4 wins, 3 draws and as many losses. There is a short break before they take on Real Kashmir FC on January 6 next year in a home fixture at the Salt Lake Stadium.
With a disappointing 1-2 away loss to NEROCA FC on the last match day, Mohun Bagan will be eager to re-group ahead of the next match. More importantly, it will give injured players like Sony Norde, Pintu Mahata and Sourav Das ample of time to recover for the next set of matches.
The ‘green and maroon’ brigade now has a string of home matches in the first quarter of the new year. This will be a great opportunity for them to use the home advantage and grab as many points as possible, else it will be curtain drawn for their title aspirations at least for the ongoing season.
Let us have a look at 3 things Mohun Bagan need to address immediately to rescue their title bid:
#3 Making use of opportunities
In football, you need to make the best use of your opportunities, Mohun Bagan has fallen short of doing exactly that. It is high time that the team consisting of quality strikers like Henry Kisekka and Dipanda Dicka convert the half chances and capitalise.
Although Dipanda Dicka has scored four goals so far, he has missed more than a dozen chances to increase his tally. The striker has already become unpopular among the fans for his inconsistent performances.
The Cameroonian has been the highest goal scorer in the I-League for the past two seasons, but he needs to pick up his game this time otherwise he is bound to face the heat of the management.
Repeatedly, he has failed to impress apart from the goals which he scored. For a majority of the time in the ongoing I-League, he has wandered in the field helplessly up front and had no clue about what to do next.
Henry Kisekka and Omar Elhussieny have also had their share of wasted opportunities. Two of them have been the most hardworking performers for the century-old club this season, but they can only blame themselves for not getting the desired returns for their efforts.
Overall, the players need to give their best while they are wearing the green and maroon jersey, half-hearted efforts are not welcomed when you play for a club like Mohun Bagan!