Subhasish, Anas likely to make their debut for Mariners
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Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen with Katsumi, Shehnaz and Duffy at the practice session on Saturday. Image Source: Xtra Time[/caption]Kolkata: Mohun Bagan will start their I League campaign against an unorganized Churchill Brothers side sans any foreigners on Sunday. The Mariners will meet the Goan side at the Barasat stadium following a last minute change in the venue due to an order from National Green Tribunal to host matches at Rabindra Sarobar stadium.
The I League runners are most likely to play in a 4-4-1-1 combination with Darryl Duffy being the lone striker. Captain Katsumi Yuasa will play as a withdrawal striker with both Jeje and Balwant to come in as substitutes. Brazilian Eduardo Ferreira will have to sit out as he is still not match fit.
Jeje, who celebrated his 26th birthday, was seen playing in the second team along with Balwant. Debjit Majumder will stand under the bars. Subhasish Bose, who joined Mohun Bagan this season from Sporting de Goa will make his debut for Mariners. An impressive show in the last few practice sessions has influenced Sanjoy Sen to keep the Under 22 footballer in the side along with Robinson Singh. Pritam Kotal will be the right back. Anas Edathodika is also likely to play his first match for Mohun Bagan tomorrow. Anas will partner Kingshuk in the central defence.
Kean Lewis and Prabir Das will be the two halves along with Souvik Chakraborty and Shehnaz Singh in the middle. Sanjoy Sen also has the options of Souvik Ghosh who can substitute Subhasish in the left back.
Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen looked confident ahead of his side’s first match in I League. According to the gaffer, “Getting full points will be the key for us. I have told all my players to capitalize the minimum chances. They need to keep their focus right. It is important to start well in any competition and for that reason we need to get full points from the first match.
Mohun Bagan could not practice at the Barasat stadium assuming they will play at the Rabindra Sarobar stadium. But a court order has forced the club to shift its match to the Barasat stadium. On being asked about the change in venue, Sanjoy Sen said, “I do not think it will be a problem. These are all mental things. Had we never played on synthetic turf then it would have been a concern. Most of my players have the experience of playing on the synthetic turf. I personally feel it will not be a problem.”
On being asked whether not getting an opportunity to play at the venue will be a disadvantage for his side, Sanjoy Sen said, “I had told my players that we might have to play on any surface since the problem surrounding the matches at Rabindra Sarobar surfaced. My players are ready mentally. I cannot control things which are not in my hand."
The fact that the venue had to be changed at the last moment, so will that have a bearing on his players. The Bagan gaffer said, “See, there were no matches being played at Rabindra Sarobar before the Indian Super League (ISL). The officials have tried their best to try and organize the matches at Rabindra Sarobar, but may be there wasn’t sufficient time. At the same time you cannot deny the reason specified for the shifting of the matches. I hope we will get an opportunity to play at Rabindra Sarobar in course of the tournament.”
Churchill Brothers looks to be an unorganized unit with no foreign signings yet. Anthony Wolfe, who signed for the Goan outfit is yet to join the team. So is the case with other foreigners. On being asked whether it will be an added advantage for his side in the first match, the gaffer said, “ I do not think none of the teams playing in the I League is unorganized. Had we faced a tough opponent in the opener, we would have concentrated even harder to prepare ourselves. Since we do not have any idea about their team, it will be tough for us.”
East Bengal’s Mehtab Hossain complained about playing on synthetic surfaces as he felt that might invite injuries to players. Mohun Bagan captain Katsumi Yusa agreed with Mehtab. “It is difficult to play on synthetic turfs and I agree with Mehtab. I don’t want to play on artificial turf as we can injure ourselves. Natural grass is good for playing and the chance of getting an injury is less. Also the recovery time is less if we play on natural grass. But, as I cannot control the ground.”
Mohun Bagan (Likely playing XI) : Debjit Majumder (GK), Subhasish Bose, Anas Edathodika, Kingshuk Debnath, Pritam Kotal, Kean Lewis, Souvik Chakraborty, Shehnaz Singh, Prabir Das, Katsumi Yusa (C) and Darryl Duffy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPZWG5wFmG8
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