ISL: Atletico de Kolkata’s strongest XI
Sportskeeda continues this series by looking at the strongest eleven on paper of Atletico de Kolkata, that has cricket legend Sourav Ganguly and La Liga champions Atletico Madrid as their co-owners.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
GK: Subhashish Roy Chowdhury – Despite the presence of two foreign keepers in the squad, the Bengali custodian could start to maintain the balance of six foreigners and five Indians in the lineup. Subhashish had a difficult campaign last season as he lost his starting place at Dempo and thus would be looking to revive his career during the ISL.
RB: Josemi – The former Liverpool defender was undoubtedly one of the most high-profile players of the international draft so Atletico picked him up in the third round with his Spanish connection also being a factor. At 34, Josemi is certainly past his peak but there can be no doubts about his competitive edge as he was playing in the Greece Super League last season.
CB: Arnab Mondal – The India international has been one of the country’s best centre-backs in the last two seasons and thus was Atletico de Kolkata’s second pick in the domestic draft. Arnab usually relishes playing against some of the top foreigners in the I-League but will have to raise his game while facing the even better quality imports of the ISL.
CB: Sylvain Monsoreau – The former Lyon centre-back has the experience of playing in both UEFA Cup and Champions League and thus will be expected to be the leader of Atletico’s backline. At 33, the six feet one inches tall defender still has plenty to provide in the ISL and could become one of the best centre-backs.
LB: Nallappan Mohanraj – The left back hasn’t done justice to his potential ever since emerging at Mohun Bagan in the 2007-08 season and he had to wait until the very last round of the domestic draft to get picked by the Kolkata franchise. However Mohanraj is likely to be a starter to maintain the team balance and has the chance to finally put his career back on track.
CM: Borja Fernandez – The Real Madrid youth product was officially the ISL’s first-ever foreign recruit with Atletico signing him directly. The former Spanish youth international has played all his life in Spain, mostly in the La Liga and was at Getafe last season. Borja has the ability to dictate proceedings and could become the heartbeat of Atletico’s midfield.
CM: Ofentse Nato – The defensive midfielder is one of the few foreigners in the ISL to be an active international and was directly signed by the franchise due to his time in South Africa, where coach Antonio Lopez Habas has previously worked. Still only 24, Nato will be expected to protect the back four and break up opposition play.
RAM: Sanju Pradhan – The former East Bengal skipper is among the top five costliest domestic players but was only picked in the eighth round of the domestic draft by Atletico as he rarely featured for Dempo in the I-League last season. There is no doubt though about Sanju’s potential and quality and he would be determined to show that in the ISL.
CAM: Luis Garcia – The 36-year-old had announced his retirement in January 2014 but is also set to be in action again after being contacted by his former club Atletico Madrid. The former Liverpool player will have a role to play off the pitch also but his main focus will be to score goals and provide assists while operating behind the main striker.
LAM: Baljit Sahni – The Punjabi lad usually plays upfront for East Bengal but could be used in a wide role under Spanish coach Habas, who prefers to play only one striker. Baljit has an excellent scoring record, but most of his goals come as a substitute or against weaker opposition in the CFL. He will be looking to change that reputation in the ISL.
CF: Fikru Teferra – The Ethiopian international is likely to start ahead of Spaniard Arnal Llibert upfront possibly for being five years younger. The 28-year-old is another direct signing of Atletico that was made due to his stint in South Africa where Habas watched him closely. Fikru would be looking to enhance his reputation by being prolific in the ISL.
