I-League 2018-19: 5 Talking Points of Gameweek 8

#2 East Bengal back to winning ways as Gokulam struggle to replace German

East Bengal players celebrate a goal

The much-awaited Kolkata Derby is knocking on the door. Time was running out for East Bengal coach Alejandro Menendez to make amends to the mistakes they committed in their earlier matches.

East Bengal had already slipped to the bottom half of the table and a win against Gokulam Kerala was the first thing they wanted.

Menendez can heave a sigh of relief that the side, down with three back to back losses, finally found their rhythm. The four changes which he made came out successful as there is no option for an experiment in the derby.

Still, not all the worries are gone for them. East Bengal’s main striker Enrique Esqueda injured his rib in the match and had to be substituted at the half-time. He will probably not be available in Derby and that only mounts pressure on the coach.

East Bengal may have signed Jaime Santos Colado a few days ago, but it’s not sure whether he will play in the derby or not. The Kolkata derby is the ultimate exam for the coach and it need remembered his side have not won the fixture in the past few occasions.

Antonio German left Gokulam Kerala just before a day they were preparing to face East Bengal. On the field, the Malabarians missed a potent striker like him in the match.

The match also saw some questionable decisions by the referee which went against Gokulam.