East Bengal

About Emami East Bengal

Initially, building up to the 2021-22 Indian Super League, there was some visible skepticism surrounding the prospect of Emami East Bengal playing in the league. However, with a few swift decisions and Emami Group coming over as investors, the Red and Gold brigade geared up for their third season in the ISL.

Within days of reaching the agreement with their new investors, East Bengal started to make moves in the transfer market. The Torchbearers landed the signature of former FC Goa center-back Ivan Gonzalez, along with the likes of Mobashir Rahman and Mohammad Rakip. Soon after, the club appointed former Indian men’s national team head coach Stephen Constantine. Santosh Trophy-winning Bino George also joined as an assistant to Constantine.

Furthermore, the club acquired two big-money signings in former Hyderabad FC forward Aniket Jadhav and V.P. Suhair, NorthEast United FC’s star performer from the previous season. Adding to their foreign contingent, in mid-September, East Bengal announced the signing of Alex Lima, Cleiton Silva, Charalambos Kyriakou, and Eliandro.

Also see: SC East Bengal Fixtures

Background

The formation of East Bengal as a club in itself came when a couple of players in Mohun Bagan could not play since they were from the Eastern part of Bengal. The exclusion of Sailesh Bose from the Mohun Bagan side for their Coochbehar Cup fixture against Jorabagan did not go down too well.

Eventually, it was Sailes Bose,Suresh Chandra Chaudhari, and Sarda Ranjan Roy who went on to form East Bengal football club.The club was officially incorporated on the 11th of August 1920 and recently completed 100 years in existence on the 11th of August 2020.

Prominent Achievements

In their 100-year existence as a club, East Bengal are one of the most decorated clubs in the country. So far, they have claimed a total of 272 trophies, of which 4 are international trophies, 118 major domestic accolades, and 150 minor accolades. East Bengal also holds the record of most number of wins in the Calcutta Football League (39 times), Durand Cup (16 times), and IFA Shield (29 times).

Low Points

One of the drawbacks of being such a decorated side is the mountain of expectations the Red and Gold Brigade have on them. The last time they won the National Football League was the 2003-04 season. Since then, they have not managed to win many trophies. The last title they won was the Calcutta Football League in 2017.

Looking back at the 2021-22 season

In over 100 years of their existence, the 2021-22 season was one of the lowest points in the club’s history. Amid a growing tumultuous relationship with then investors Shree Cement, East Bengal decided to let go of their core team from the 2020-21 season and decided to build a team from scratch. Yet again, they were late to the squad-building party and ended with a lot of players who wouldn’t have otherwise made the cut in the Indian Super League.

The Red and Gold Brigade appointed former Real Madrid Castilla coach Manolo Díaz as their new boss. However, the Spaniard lasted just eight matches after failing to win even a single game and the club mutually terminated his contract on 28 December 2021. After his departure, assistant coach Renedy Singh was appointed to the top job on an interim basis. Soon after, Mario Rivera was re-signed by the club to be their new gaffer for the remainder of the season. Despite the merry-go-round in the head coach position, the club finished at the bottom of the league standings with just a single win.

Positives going into the new season

The first and foremost positive going into the new season is the choice of the head coach Emami East Bengal has opted for. Stephen Constantine has managed the Indian men’s national team in two separate decades. He’s aware of the functioning and intricacies of Indian football.

Furthermore, considering the profile of a few of the players they have acquired, East Bengal have bagged individuals with prior experience of playing in the ISL. The youngsters like Aniket Jadhav, Lalchungnunga, and Mobashir Rahman give the Red and Gold Brigade a bright prospect going forward.

Areas of concern ahead of the new season

Quite like the previous years, East Bengal lagged behind once again when it came to moving in the transfer market. While there are some quality individuals on the side, both domestic and foreign, some of the players are a bit behind the power curve given the talent at disposal of the other sides.

Furthermore, the group assembled don’t have prior experience of playing together unlike the rest of the teams. Hence, the lack of camaraderie and understanding between the players might eventually start showing on the pitch.

Major players in the upcoming ISL

In the upcoming season, Emami East Bengal’s third in the Indian Super League, the Red and Gold Brigade will be banking on the likes of Aniket Jadhav, V.P. Suhair, and several other Indian players to step up to the plate. In addition, the likes of Cleiton Silva, Ivan Gonzalez, and Alex Lima will be key to the club’s chances in their first season in the ISL.