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“At this moment, Mumbai City FC and Mohun Bagan SG are like Barcelona and Real Madrid of Indian football,” FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez stated during his first press conference for the club in June 2023.
And his words have been proven right. The battle between Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City for the ISL Shield persisted until the final day when Bagan narrowly edged out the reigning champions to claim the honors. On Saturday, May 4, the two teams will once again clash, this time for the ISL title, where Mumbai City will look to overthrow Bagan’s throne.
When discussing these two teams, there is an aura of inevitability, as Marquez himself pointed out. This is rooted not only in the quality of players but also because of the standards they uphold within their respective clubs.
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But while the destination of these two teams may have seemed inevitable, their journey was far from easy. Both experienced lapses throughout the season while facing competition from the likes of FC Goa, Odisha FC, and Kerala Blasters FC, who had the opportunity to end their dominance at various points during the year.
Yet, Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City have once again shown their mettle. Surprisingly, this time, they share several striking parallels in their journey to the ISL finals, which enabled their success.
Mid-season misery
Both teams initially had high-caliber head coaches at the helm - Des Buckingham and Juan Ferrando. However, their seasons took a turn when they left the club, which created problems.
The first shake-up came when Buckingham announced his departure from Mumbai City in early November to join Oxford United FC. Petr Kratky was appointed as his successor, but he struggled to adapt to the role, winning only three of his first six ISL matches in charge.
January threw another curve ball, with the departure of three key players - Greg Stewart, Nasser El Khayati, and Rostyn Griffiths - leaving Mumbai City depleted in terms of quality. Kratky certainly faced an uphill battle in integrating into the environment, given the consistent changes.
Meanwhile, after a strong start to the season, Mohun Bagan went through a crisis of their own in December, as Juan Ferrando suffered three consecutive losses to title contenders Mumbai City FC, FC Goa, and Kerala Blasters FC. Additionally, a humiliating 5-2 defeat to Odisha FC in the AFC Cup led to their elimination from the competition.
These setbacks, partly due to numerous injury concerns, eventually led to Ferrando’s departure. Antonio Habas was brought in for the second half of the season, under significant pressure as Mohun Bagan found themselves in fifth place at the midway point of the season, while also struggling to find the right balance in the starting lineup.
Trust in youth and Indian players
Both of the new head coaches faced massive challenges and turned to the Indian players for solutions. Kratky, who had several departures and suspensions to his foreign stars, trusted Mumbai’s young Indian core to deliver results, a decision that proved successful.
Vikram Pratap Singh, who had previously struggled for game time under Buckingham, suddenly emerged as a pivotal player for the team and rewarded his coach’s faith with eight goals and two assists in the latter half of the season.
Lallianzuala Chhangte seems to have reached a new level, recording 10 goals and six assists, while contributing to a goal or an assist in each of his last seven games. Additionally, Kratky relied on the contributions of Valpuia, Mehtab Singh, Apuia, and Jayesh Rane throughout his tenure.
Mumbai City’s Indian players recorded 25 of their 38 goals under Kratky’s guidance, which is an impressive stat and is a testament to the coach’s faith in his players.
Meanwhile, Habas, also having several injury issues within his team, was quick to integrate Bagan’s academy players - Dipendu Biswas, Amandeep Singh, and Abhishek Suryavanshi - into the starting lineup in crucial games. Suryavanshi, in fact, made 12 appearances in the second half of the season and played a crucial role in their title run-in.
Habas has also helped Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco in rediscovering their form. Both players took creative roles, with Manvir Singh scoring three goals and providing seven assists, while Colaco contributed with four goals and four assists.
Ultimately, their success stems not only from trusting the players but also from both coaches having clarity in what they are expecting from the Indian players. They have shown the ability to define roles that suit them, rather than playing them out of position to accommodate foreign players.
Ruthless efficiency in the final stage of the campaign
When it comes to the final stretch of the season, Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City did what they do best - winning matches. Following their unexpected 3-2 defeat to Jamshedpur FC in February, the Islanders went on an impressive streak, winning eight of their next nine games, which propelled them to the top of the standings.
Although they ultimately fell short in the final game of the season against Mohun Bagan, they bounced with two more victories in the semi-finals against a formidable FC Goa side, winning 5-2 on aggregate.
The remarkable run achieved by Mumbai City highlights further dominance by the eventual title-winning side, Mohun Bagan. Similar to Mumbai, they enjoyed an unbeaten streak spanning two months, where they clinched six victories out of eight games until a surprising defeat to Chennaiyin FC halted their momentum.
However, they showed their resilience in the title-deciding match, securing a 2-1 victory in front of a packed Salt Lake Stadium to win their first ISL Shield. The final standings revealed the gap between the top two and the rest, which ultimately boiled down to the fact that when the two teams hop on the winning train, they become virtually unstoppable.
Consequently, it’s no surprise that Marquez likened them to Barcelona and Real Madrid, given their consistent ability to outshine their rivals, especially in the final stretch of the season, where the pressure is on.
