CALCUTTA (India): East Bengal will open their I-League campaign against Real Kashmir at Kalyani Stadium near here on Wednesday.
After having gained nothing in terms of trophies this season including the Calcutta Football League and Durand Cup, the red and gold brigade will be looking forward to revive their old glory.
The Calcutta side hasn’t won the league since it was rechristened from National Football League in 2007.
That itself would be a challenge for their Spanish coach Alejandro Menendez, who will have to dig deep into his resources to win the title for the success-starved side.
Last season, East Bengal fell short of the champions Chennai City FC by a point and finished second.
“This season, the teams, the players, all have quality. We are a team, where every team wants to perform against us, wants to win against us,” said Alejandro.
“We’ve to try and get three points. We will try and win as many games as we can only and just exclusively for the fans,” added the Spaniard.
But ex-players and coaches said that it will be a tough proposition for the club, currently celebrating their centenary year.
Excerpts:
East Bengal lack consistency: Manoranjan
Manoranjan Bhattacharya (former coach and captain): The coach has to take responsibility to help the team focus on their priorities. East Bengal lack momentum and consistency. Alejandro will have to ensure that doesn’t happen.
Pre-season preparation has not been good: Bhaskar
Bhaskar Ganguly (former captain and goalkeeper): The team’s pre-season preparation has not been good this time. The foreigners are ordinary. The failures in Durand Cup and Calcutta league has also affected the morale of the club. If they don’t win the I-League, it’ll be a matter of shame for the fans.
Jobby Justin will be missed: Prasanta
Prasanta Banerjee (former captain and midfielder): East Bengal will suffer for not having Jobby Justin. The Kerala striker had done well in the previous season. This time, (Jaime) Colado will have to take that responsibility. The coach also has to adjust the tactics.
