Mohun Bagan captain showers praise on Wedson Ansleme
[caption id="attachment_32558" align="alignnone" width="580"]
Katsumi Yuasa with Souvik Ghosh during the training session at the club ground on Wednesday . Image Source: Xtra Time[/caption]Kolkata: I League runners Mohun Bagan will be a top contender to win the title this season, feel Captain Katsumi Yusa. The Japanese midfielder, who is in his fourth season with the Mariners has played a key role in Mohun Bagan winning the I League and Federation Cup in last couple of seasons. Much of the credit for producing such a consistent result goes to the officials who have managed to retain a set team, apart from a few additions in key positions this season. Bagan coach Sanjay Sen has the luxury of having more than one footballer in all positions.
According to the Mohun Bagan captain, “It will be an advantage to have the same set of footballers because we understand each other how to play, how to attack and how to defense. So this is definitely an advantage. We also have new footballers who will add to the strength of the squad.”
There will be huge expectation from the Bagan fans as they start their I League campaign against Churchill Brothers at home on January 08. Asked to comment there be more pressure on the Mohun Bagan players due to high expectations, Katsumi said, “Pressure is behind us always because Mohun Bagan is a big club in India. All supporters expect us to win the I-League and Federation Cup but we cannot buy trophy. We have to try and earn it by playing good football throughout the season.”
Commenting on the new season, the Bagan captain cautioned his teammates of not getting complacent.
“First and foremost we need to forget about the last season. We also need to forget which happened two years ago when we won the I-League. We also won the Federation Cup Champion. But it’s a new season and we need to start fresh. We also need to challenge our mentality. We are not a champion team; we need to work hard together with players, staff and club officials to get the success.”
The 28 year old midfielder did not want to compare the current team with the one that played for Mariners last season.
“I cannot say now because we have just started our practice session. We can only decide after the end of season,” said Katsumi.
The Mohun Bagan captain lavished high praises on East Bengal’s new foreign recruit Wedson Ansleme. The Japanese did have an opportunity to play against Wedson earlier on a couple of occasion.
Asked to comment about Wedson, Katsumi said, “I got an opportunity to play against him only twice – once in IFA Shield and the other occasion was in Bhutan. He is a good player because he has played for the National team of Haity and he is a good friend of Sony. But nothing more I can say about him or East Bengal. We would want to focus on ourselves.”
The New Year resolution for the Mohun Bagan captain is pretty simple. “If I am captain or any other player is captain, it doesn't matter. A team comprises of 11 players and we will all work together to help the team win the matches,” signed off the Japanese midfielder amidst cheers from his fans.
Meanwhile, Balwant Singh who missed the training yesterday due to high fever was seen doing rehab with team physical trainer. Souvik Chakraborty, who played for Delhi Dynamos in Indian Super League, joined the training. The midfielder turned side back had a great season this year with Dynamos. Former Italian world cup winning footballer and coach of Dynamos had heaped high praises on Souvik. On being asked about his preferred position Souvik said, “I do not mind playing in any position what the Coach finds best suited for me. All I will be focusing on is to play and help my team win.”
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