Kolkata: A new Indian Super League is just around the corner and reigning Shield champions Mohun Bagan SG and Super Cup winners East Bengal FC are excited to welcome a newcomer from the city into the elite club.
Mohammedan Sporting — who have become the second team after Punjab FC to have gained promotion to what is now the country’s top league — would not be pushovers, their I-League-winning Russian coach Andre Chernyshov insisted.
His opposite number in East Bengal, Carles Cuadrat, is already excited and preparing to play six Kolkata derbies in the league. Mohun Bagan’s first shot at glory was misfired with the failure to defend the Durand Cup but Jose Molina said that he’s not under pressure living up to expectations as the new green-and-maroon coach.
Each team will be on a mission in its own way. Each team will try to transcend the boundary of possibility. The Big Three, with hopes and hoopla, are ready to hit it big.
Take for example Molina’s point of view expressed during an ISL-organized media day at a New Town hotel on Wednesday. It’s not that he’s new to the job. Yet many think that the Spaniard — an ISL-winning coach in 2006 — has big shoes to fill this time since his countrymate Antonio Lopez left the job after guiding the team from a precarious place to the pinnacle of success.
“No doubt, last season was great for Mohun Bagan. But this is a different season. It’s not pressure; pressure is never a problem for me. We are not going to win matches because last season was a great one for us. To win matches, we have to be better than our rivals for 90 minutes. I’m thinking about the future and this is why I have on my mind only our first match (ISL-11 opener too) against Mumbai City FC and nothing else,” Molina said.
This is also the first time since their entry into the ISL in 2020 that East Bengal have reposed faith in a coach. Cuadrat too is looking forward to accepting the challenge.
“We have stability in our club. Probably after Trevor Morgan, the coach is the same at the club for back-to-back seasons. We also have players who have been retained from the last season. We can see a clear progression of the squad East Bengal have been building over the years. Now players who have rejected us in the past are coming as they feel we are building something. We are trying to be a good team that can be competitive and fight for trophies,” said Cuadrat, who guided East Bengal to the Super Cup triumph, the team’s first major trophy in a decade.
For him, NorthEast United FC’s win over Bagan in the Durand Cup final is a lesson for every aspiring team. “When you reach the ISL playoffs, anything can happen. So it’ll be a priority for us to reach the playoffs and then maybe look into winning the trophy,” East Bengal coach maintained.
The ISL playoffs is something Mohammedan Sporting too are targeting.
Unlike Molina and Cuadrat, Chernyshov is a tenderfoot in the league but the Russian has done wonders with his team in the I-League.
“It’s a nice feeling to be a part of the ISL family. Our supporters had been expecting this for many years. The ISL is different since it has the best Indian players in fray, good foreigners and coaches. It’s time to test ourselves against the best,” Chernyshov said as Mohammedan Sporting prepare to host Durand champions NEUFC at their new home — Kishore Bharati Stadium — on Sep 16.