Unfurling the many layers of East Bengal's statement victory over NorthEast United
For a club of East Bengal FC's stature that's still regularly considered in the echelons of Indian heavyweights, their showings since their introduction to the Indian Super League (ISL) have been nothing short of paltry. Over the last three seasons, the Red and Gold Brigade have crawled to a meager 10 victories in total.
Hence, every rare victory has been welcomed with open arms and fans have cradled themselves in the greater hope of these morale-boosting results leading the club to turn over a new leaf. But their crystal hearts have shattered over and over again. There's now an unstated fear of unkept promises across the club.
But in what was East Bengal's biggest win in the ISL, their 5-0 thrashing of NorthEast United FC on Monday might have enough reasons to reignite some lost hope.
When Borja Herrera stabbed home the Torchbeaers' opening goal that night, an ominous anxiety wrapped around the Salt Lake Stadium. Would Carles Cuadrat's men dare to slip up once again? Like they had against Chennaiyin FC after taking the lead, or against FC Goa, or innumerable times before.
For once, the Kolkata giants had packed a pleasant surprise for the onlookers in their performance. The club's talisman, Cleiton Silva, doubled their lead within minutes, and East Bengal cruised through.
But expectedly, the Highlanders started operating with a greater resolute and a meeker version of East Bengal would've been left overwhelmed.
East Bengal FC exhibit an air of arrogance resembling their golden days
However, the Torchbearers packed a swagger in every step on Monday night and negated every threat presented by NorthEast United. East Bengal have somewhat made a reputation of fumbling from winning positions in the recent past. They've crumbled under pressure and dropped points consistently, but Carles Cuadrat's men looked in complete control against the Highlanders.
Rather than going into a shell in an attempt to preserve the lead, the hosts looked confident enough to constantly recycle the ball into the opposition's third. While the minutes were running down and NorthEast were growing impatient, gaps automatically started appearing in their defense.
Now, the Juan Pedro Benali-led outfit hadn't been a leaky defense by any margin. Before facing East Bengal, they had only conceded seven goals from eight outings. So for the Red and Gold Brigade to annihilate the Highlanders' defense required the Kolkata giants to tap into an attacking level the league was yet to witness from their end.
The attacking football that East Bengal played wasn't exorbitant or audacious, but it was rather incessant. Be it Naorem Mahesh Singh, Cleiton Silva, or substitute Nandhakumar Sekar, neither overcooked their passes or complicated their efforts. There was lazy arrogance about Cuadrat's men that hinted back to the eras of utter dominance from East Bengal. Undecorated passes that were finding their intended target, some luck going into second-ball recoveries, and then the
Cuadrat, unlike the romantics, didn't intend to get ahead of himself and eulogize about the result. He maintained that the staggering victory came because of the immense work that the players had put into training, coupled with some luck. Indeed.
The timing of the victory and the opportunity it presents
Enough talk about East Bengal's performance, but what is pivotal to consider is the time this has come. As mentioned by the commentators during East Bengal's match, in between their last five matches, the Kolkata outfit had over a week's hiatus. In some cases, it has extended to over two weeks as well. While breaks are often important for teams to regroup and replenish their sources, too many of them could be dealbreakers.
While Cuadrat hasn't complained about them, these prolonged halts could've in theory hampered East Bengal's momentum. Ask any manager or player what they would prefer to do after a disappointing result, on most occasions expect them to ramble about wanting to go into a match-up as soon as possible and have a shot at redemption.
But the Red and Gold Brigade have had to soak in the agony of their defeats for an extended period. It can make players and coaches overthink to the extent were they start deviating from the basics.
It's difficult to announce with certainty if East Bengal have struggled because of it. But they'll welcome the quick turnaround between matches in December and the victory against NorthEast United FC, perfectly set them up for the rest of the month.
They face Punjab FC later in the week, on Saturday, while their 2023 will end with two difficult fixtures against Mumbai City FC and Odisha FC. With confidence in their stride and some much-needed points in their bag, the Red and Gold Brigade might just be better equipped for the upcoming challenge.