Jekyll or Hyde? Mohun Bagan's showing in the Kolkata Derby depends on which side is more prominent

There has been a charming vulnerability to Mohun Bagan in this I-League season. Like a giant tottering on the edge, inviting to be knocked over, yet somehow summoning up enough of its might to stay one step ahead of the opposition. On Sunday, all that could finally change.

Bagan will head into the latest bout of the Kolkata derby, Indian football’s marquee fixture, second-best both by form and by strength on paper, which isn’t something you’ve been able to say too often about the Mariners under the guidance of head coach Sanjay Sen.

On Thursday, Sen admitted that rivals East Bengal have been “playing better football” even if they’re better only by “1% more”. By and large, it’s an accurate assessment even if the gap has been slightly more. While the Mariners have put up a string of unconvincing wins, their rivals have been relatively more assured in going about their business.

Barring one drawn match each, both the teams have won all of their league games. Owing to Bagan’s commitments in the AFC Cup, though, East Bengal have played a game more and sit three points ahead at the top of the I-League, which is a first such occurrence in six years, as per veteran Indian football commentator Novy Kapadia.

The significance of this derby, which will be played in Siliguri over 500 miles north of Kolkata, shouldn’t be lost on anyone. It might still be early doors in this season – we’re not halfway through yet – but it’s a truly top-of-the-table clash which could have huge ramifications as far as the title race is concerned. Champions Bengaluru FC’s recent struggles have installed these two Kolkata giants as title favourites.

Problems in central defence

Sen’s problems lie in his central defence where the Mariners have been plagued with injuries, leading to instability at the back. The coach has been forced to chop and change throughout the season. Kinshuk Debnath and Eduardo Ferreira have missed half the games, while Raju Gaikwad hasn’t been available for any thus far. This has left Anas Edathodika, a find of the Indian Super League, and young Bikramjit Singh (not to be confused with Bagan midfielder by the same name) to shoulder a lot of responsibility in their debut I-League seasons.

Contrast this to East Bengal coach Trevor Morgan having the resources to play the same back four in the club’s previous four matches, leading to three clean sheets. Furthermore, the team’s Ugandan central defender Ivan Bukenya hasn’t missed a single minute since coming on as a late substitute in the opening fixture against Aizawl FC.

Bagan’s numbers do not appear to be too shabby on paper – the team has conceded only three times in the I-League, the same as the league leaders – but they don’t reveal the entire picture.

Both Churchill Brothers, playing without a recognised striker, and Shillong Lajong weren’t clinical enough in the final third of Bagan’s opening two wins. Goalkeeper Debjit Majumder rescued the Mariners in Chennai after Chennai City FC forwards Marcos Tank and Charles de Souza, two battering rams, gave Eduardo and Bikramjit a particularly hard time.

DSK Shivajians forward Kim Song-Yong had what looked like a perfectly good goal ruled out in a goalless draw in Pune (even the visiting players didn’t appear to be complaining), while Aizawl FC, even without their chief midfield enforcer Mahmoud Al Amna, netted twice last week in a narrow defeat and should’ve scored more. Bagan’s only convincing victory of the season has been a 4-0 rout of minnows Minerva Punjab FC.

At the time of writing, reports from Siliguri have suggested that Eduardo could return to the line-up to partner Anas in defence for the second time this season. It’s a pairing that wasn’t tested at all by the Minerva forwards. So, stopping East Bengal’s two flying in-form foreigners, forward Willis Deon Plaza (Trinidad and Tobago) and playmaker Wedson Anselme (Haiti), will likely prove to be a tall order.

Fearsome attack

Mohun Bagan, however, tend to make amends on the offensive front. Winger Sony Norde, forwards Darryl Duffy and Jeje Lalpekhlua and midfielder Katsumi Yusa form a fearsome four-pronged attack, which will keep even a supremely confident East Bengal honest. What could work in Bagan’s favour on Sunday is that they’re a more dangerous side when playing on the counter-attack. It often takes a flick of the switch for them to rush forward and score.

Against Colombo in midweek, all four had an outing together – they’ve only featured together in half of the I-League games this season. New signing Duffy, who is the league’s top scorer with six goals, and Katsumi have started all matches. Norde, due to national duty and injury, hasn’t featured in three of them, while Jeje, with four goals, has started the last four in I-League.

The Bagan faithful will be desperate to see Norde fire on all cylinders in the derby. While the Haitian is considered to be the side’s main man – the team is often over-reliant on Norde’s left flank – he has been too wasteful and inefficient this season. In fact, Norde was stifled in Pune by DSK right-back Nirmal Chhetri and while East Bengal right-back Rahul Bheke hasn’t been too solid of late, he did do a fabulous job on the Haitian in the same fixture last year.

However, under-22 player Subhasish Bose, another newcomer, has been a revelation at left-back for the Mariners. He’s a player to watch out for in Sunday’s derby. Bose has been the best attacking left-back in the I-League, frequently darting forward and often dribbling past players with ease. His link-up play with Norde has been sensational to watch at times.

But will Bose be allowed the freedom to move forward freely in such a high-profile fixture? With Plaza, Anselme and Robin Singh waiting to exploit any room left on the flanks, similar to how the trio stuck into the champions two weeks ago, it’s unlikely that the left-back will venture forward as often as he did in the previous matches.

Sen’s team has a Jekyll-and-Hyde feel to it on the field: a vulnerable defence at one end and a magnificent attack at the other – separated in the middle by two dogged central midfielders.

It remains to be seen which side of Bagan’s dual characters is more prominent come Sunday.

Akarsh Sharma is a New Delhi-based sports writer who contributes to various publications. His work is collated on akarshsharma.com.