“Aizawl will be a tough opponent”, says Mohun Bagan coach Sankarlal Chakroborty

After losing two points in their first I-League match against Gokulam Kerala, Mohun Bagan will be looking to bounce back at home when the face Aizawl FC at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.

Mohun Bagan, who finished third last season, is aiming the league for one last time before their participation in Indian Super League, which is most likely to happen from next season. With a win, Mohun Bagan will leapfrog to the third position and maybe second if they win by a big margin.

Mohun Bagan coach Sankarlal Chakraborty feels Aizawl match will be a tough test for them. Speaking at a pre-match press conference, he said, “Aizawl have a very good attacking line-up. They have some good players like Ansumana Kromah, Leonce Dodoz, Alfred Jaryan. They have lost their last match but played well. Teams who play against Mohun Bagan always show some extra energy. So, Aizawl will be tough opponent.”

Mohun Bagan’s main threat will be Kromah, a former green-and-maroon player. Last year, in the midway of the I-League, Mohun Bagan released Kromah due to his ‘indecent behaviour’ within the team. Kromah joined East Bengal but failed to impress and subsequently been released. But he was in form for Peerless SC in the Calcutta Football League and became the top scorer. He has even scored against Mohun Bagan and followed it up with a muted celebration.

Regarding the threat of Kromah, Sankarlal said, “Yes, we have done our homework on Kromah. But there is also Dodoz who have a very good understanding with Kromah and can also inflict the same damage. Their right back and left wingers have also impressed in the first match. They have variations in their attack. They also have a very tactical coach who likes to play in dynamic and attacking approach.”

The green-and-maroons dropped too many points last season at home, which led to the resignation of their erstwhile coach Sanjoy Sen. This year, they will certainly be cautious. “We know we have not played well in our home matches last year and lost few points cheaply. That is something we will keep in mind before taking the field against Aizawl. Not only home, we will be more cautious in our away matches too,” said the gaffer.

Sankarlal has not decided whether Sony Norde will be there in the squad but said, “He has not played in the last nine months. I can understand his feelings as I’ve endured this kind of situation in my playing career twice. I feel he needs more improvement to be match fit.”

In their last match, Mohun Bagan couldn’t utilise their chances in the first half and were outplayed in the second. Asked if there was any misunderstanding between the players, Sankarlal said, “The team still have lot of work to do. We played an away match against a strong team like Gokulam Kerala. These things can happen in the first match and I am not worrying too much. But of course we should learn from our mistakes. Not in defence but we will try to improve in other departments also.”

Aizawl coach Gift Raikhan, who shifted his allegiance from Neroca to Aizawl this season, said his team will look for three points despite being an underdog. “We are also a team to be reckoned with. We won the I-League a couple of seasons ago and these boys have the ability to repeat the feat.”