"We will not repeat our mistakes against ATK Mohun Bagan" - SC East Bengal vice-captain Tomislav Mrcela ahead of season's first Kolkata derby [Exclusive]

It’s that time of the year again when Kolkata, the City of Joy, gets divided into two halves. The reason? Not political but the “Beautiful Game”!

The warring parties, clad in their red-and-gold and green-and-maroon armours, will cross swords at Vasco’s Tilak Maidan Stadium on 27 November. It will be a battle to emerge victorious in Asian football’s biggest derby – the Kolkata derby.

The epic rivalry between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, spanning over a hundred years now, has given birth to myriad stories. Its gravitas is no less than that of a classical play as every moment leading up to the final hooter, the ‘catharsis’, rouses extreme emotions. Put simply, it’s the ‘Globe Theatre’ of Indian football.

Last year, the iconic contest entered a new era. The two Kolkata giants made their way to the Indian Super League, albeit in their new avatars (SC East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan). In a season of contrasting fortunes, the Green-and-Maroons became runners-up. Meanwhile, the Red-and-Golds slumped to a ninth place finish, losing both legs of the derby 0-2 and 1-3 respectively.

In a bid to turn things around, SCEB have rejigged their squad. They have replaced the mercurial Robbie Fowler with former Real Madrid Castilla coach José Manuel Diaz at the helm.

Both teams began their 2021-22 ISL campaigns last week. While SCEB shared the spoils with Jamshedpur FC last Sunday, ATKMB registered a commanding 4-2 win over Kerala Blasters FC in the season opener.

A day prior to the season’s first Kolkata derby, Sportskeeda caught up with SCEB vice-captain Tomislav Mrcela for an exclusive chat. The Australian centre-back spoke about his team’s plans to stop ATKMB’s star-studded attack and their chances of ending East Bengal's 4-match winless derby run. Excerpts:-

---

Q: At the end of your previous match, your teammate Antonio Perošević said that the players weren’t 100% match fit. Do you think the 5-day break before the derby has helped the team regain full fitness?

Mrcela: I partly agree with Antonio and I think that’s common with most teams. When it’s Round 1, you don’t quite know where you are at, with respect to fitness levels. Playing friendly games and playing competitive league games are not the same thing.

The 5-day break…it’s not a break. It’s hard work! It’s recovery one day followed by four days of hard work. We're preparing well for the derby. We’ve analyzed our performance in the last game and we’re moving forward.

Q: The SCEB defense looked solid for a major part of the first match, but there was an evident concentration lapse towards the end of its first-half. How are you going to address this issue against a strong ATK Mohun Bagan side?

Mrcela: Yeah, we notified everyone straight after the JFC match that we weren’t good in one or two set-pieces. But that was individually. We have a good set-up and we know our job. Individually, we need to show more focus and concentration. [We should] Just be proud of our defense and mark the players we’ve been assigned. There’s nothing really to address there. We’ve analyzed the videos from the previous game and identified our mistakes. We’re not going to repeat our mistakes.

Q: ATK Mohun Bagan possess one of the most lethal strike forces in the ISL. As SCEB's defensive mainstay, how challenging will it be for you to thwart Roy Krishna, Hugo Boumous, Liston Colaco & Manvir Singh? How are you planning to stop them?

Mrcela: There’s no specific plan. We’ve planned like we do in every game. We need to be aggressive, be close to the opponent, cover our teammates and be focused throughout the 90 minutes. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the ATK strikers or those from any other team. Of course, it’s the derby, so everybody is highlighting them. Nonetheless, we go into every game in the same way.

Q: East Bengal haven't won a Kolkata derby in 2.5 years. The fans are desperate to see the Torchbearers win the big match. Do you think SCEB can turn the tide this time around?

Mrcela: If we don’t think that way, it’s better not to go to the ground and play the game. Well, if you don’t have faith in yourself, you’re not going to get the result.

I don’t know what happened in the last 2.5 years, but ATK are a good team. They have always been on top for a reason and we need to challenge them. Hopefully we can give the fans some excitement. We are ready for the big game!

Q: You're the vice-captain of this century-old club. I'm sure you've been apprised of its legacy. How challenging has it been to slip into a leadership role in your maiden ISL season? Are you enjoying the responsibility?

Mrcela: Yeah, it’s really nice. I know it’s one of the oldest clubs in India. I feel proud to be the vice-captain of this team. We respect each other a lot. As I said in some of my previous interviews, we have many good characters in the team. It’s not hard; I am helping Ari [Arindam Bhattacharya] with all responsibilities. The discipline within the team is good, so it’s an honor [for me] to be one of the captains (smiles).