I-League: Five things to look forward to after the break

After a near two-month break the I-League resumes in the coming week and here are five things to look forward to.

EB’s search for consistency

East Bengal remain the title favourites because of their incredible strength in depth but it’s been more than a year since the red-and-gold brigade won back-to-back games in the I-League. Armando Colaco’s side are 12 points behind leaders Bengaluru FC with four games in hand but they must find consistency quickly after the break if the long wait for a league title is to be ended. Unlike many of the title contenders, East Bengal have been kept busy during the mid-season break as they have had 13 fixtures with their IFA Shield campaign yet to finish. While winning the Calcutta Football League gave the squad further confidence, the poor display in the Federation Cup and the congested IFA Shield schedule has been unwelcome. Crucially ten of their remaining 13 fixtures are in Kolkata but they must hit top gear from their very next I-League game. The strike pairing of Edeh Chidi and James Moga is slowly starting to click while the return of club captain Mehtab Hossain from injury could be vital.