Injuries, suspensions, and departures derailing East Bengal FC's ISL 2023-24 campaign
After their historic Super Cup 2024 victory, when they were expected to cash on the momentum, East Bengal FC's league campaign went adrift with their squad left plundered and pillaged by injuries and departures.
Borja Herrera and Javier Siverio, two crucial players in the club's Super Cup triumph, jumped boats and joined their rivals in the winter transfer window. While their replacements Victor Vazquez and Felicio Brown Forbes were announced promptly, settling into Carles Cuadrat's system will still take a while for both.
Meanwhile, coming to injuries, skipper Harmajot Singh Khabra has been sidelined for almost two months and is yet to return to full fitness. More recently, Saul Crespo suffered an injury that left the East Bengal midfield vulnerable.
On Thursday, February 15, the club announced the departure of Jose Antonio Pardo after he joined the long-term injury list. Aleksandar Pantic has been roped in as the replacement, but the Serbian will need visa clearance before he can join the squad.
Then there's also the case of crucial players facing suspension owing to the lack of discipline. Cleiton Silva, who has often been considered the talisman of the side, picked up four yellow cards in 12 ISL appearances and was suspended for the crucial fixture against Mumbai City FC. With Cleiton serving a suspension, Crespo and Pardo nursing an injury, and Victor far away from complete fitness to play 90 minutes, Cuadrat was forced to field just two foreigners in his starting lineup.
Expectedly, the Islanders walked away with a victory and the Red and Gold Brigade suffered their second straight defeat in the league. While Cleiton is now expected to return to the starting lineup, Naorem Mahesh and Lalchungnunga have picked up his fourth yellow card of the season and will sit out the fixture against Hyderabad FC.
The absence of such crucial components outing after outing disrupts the rhythm of the coach and East Bengal have been suffering from the same. The upcoming clash against the weakened Hyderabad outfit is one they are expected to dominate. But without the ball-carrying prowess of Mahesh, the equations might be slightly altered.
While the onus is definitely on Cuadrat to preserve and manage his players' attitude better, the fact is right after the Super Cup campaign East Bengal have been welcomed by a fixture crunch. The Spanish gaffer previously questioned the fixturing pattern that had them playing two matches each in October and November last year, while nine games in five weeks more recently.
East Bengal FC to have four foreigners available for the fixture against Hyderabad FC
In regards to squad strength, East Bengal have been taking a blow after the other over the past weeks. However, in welcome news, Carles Cuadrat on Thursday revealed that against Hyderabad FC, the club will have four foreigners at their disposal to start the match.
"These are the kinds of games we have to win to reach the top positions, so everybody is very focused. We have two of our players out in Lalchungnunga and Mahesh (Naorem), but we are ready to start with four foreigners," the Spaniard said.
"Of course, with all the four foreigners we are going to be more competitive and we will be once again ready to go to battle with all our weapons," he added.
While Cuadrat didn't reveal which four foreigners are expected to get the nod, Hijazi Maher, Victor Vazquez, Felicio Brown, and Cleiton Silva are expected to start the clash.
As per reports, the match against Hyderabad FC will be a little too early for Crespo to complete his recovery and Aleksandar Pantic is yet to even join the squad.