I-League 2017: Khalid Jamil to drop Arnab Mondal for East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan clash?

What's the story?

East Bengal are all set to play their arch-rivals in the much-anticipated Kolkata Derby on Sunday afternoon, but there are a few worries ahead of the clash. They have already lost two points in their opening tie against defending champions Aizawl FC, as their backline came under the scanner. But as per sources, star centreback Arnab Mondal may be overlooked in the upcoming fixture against Mohun Bagan.

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In their season opener, the ‘Red and Gold’ brigade started on a positive note and were leading by two goals inside the 75th minute, but things got scrappy from there on. The defenders failed to control the attack and the visitors scored in the dying seconds of the match to earn a vital away point.

The heart of the matter

East Bengal fielded a very young back-line in the last game, apart from Brazilian Eduardo Ferreira, and it never looked organised. Everyone was taken by surprise when veteran Arnab Mondal, who was announced as the club captain at the I-League launch last month, was dropped in the first game. What’s even more surprising is that he was not even included in the 18-member squad.

His bitter relationship with coach Khalid Jamil is said to be getting intense day-by-day. Earlier, he was seen in practice with the reserve players, and sources in the know say that the centreback and the coach do not meet eye-to-eye anymore.

During the pre-match conference, the I-League winning coach admitted that Mohun Bagan have a strong attack and the Red and Gold defence will “need to be alert”. It will be interesting to see how many more games Arnab is benched in the on-going I-League in spite of East Bengal having a very inexperienced back-line.

What's next?

East Bengal will be up against a very experienced Mohun Bagan especially with the likes of Haitian Sony Norde and striker Dipanda Dika leading their frontline. But their main weapon is the duo of Katsumi Yusa and Mahmoud Amnah, who will look to be the creative influence in the Kolkata derby. Whatever the result may be, we are in for a treat.

Author's take

East Bengal have a pretty competitive side and are one of the frontrunners for the title, but they have to mend their back line. Arnab Mondal has been a stalwart at the heart of their defence for the past few years and the team really needs him now, more than ever. Clearing the misunderstandings between the Arnab and the coach should be resolved as soon as possible for the sake of the team.