Salgaocar out to end Bagan’s dream run

Vasco: Mohun Bagan may be at the top of the heap in the I-League with 18 points from eight games. But when cellar side Salgaocar FC hosts them at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco, they will do well not to take victory for granted.
What should keep coach Sanjoy Sen and his boys on guard is that though Salgaocar are placed second last in the standings, they have been as prolific in scoring as the Kolkata side, falling just three goals short of Bagan’s 14 scored.The Greens have also scored six goals in four matches, notching a win, two draws and a loss, since Santosh Kashyap took over the reins from Scotsman Malcolm Thomson, four matches ago.
There is no doubt about Bagan’s class and quality. The unbeaten defending champions have almost the same squad they had last season and have only grown from strength to strength. Their thumping AFC Cup win in Guwahati will have only given them another confidence booster to take their game to the next level. They have the most formidable strikeforce in the league with Jeje Lalpekhlua coming into his own since his impressive performance in the last ISL and India’s international clashes. Add Sony Norde who was a thorn in the side for every defence in the ISL and Glenn Cornell and you have a lethal attack. The Bagan defence too has been rock-solid having conceded just four goals in eight outings.
But come Saturday and Bagan could taste their most severe test as Salgaocar not only have home advantage, but have improved with each game since Kashyap took charge, gained in confidence, become fitter and appear to have reinvented themselves.
The bigger advantage is that the smaller ground will leave Bagan a bit choked as they thrive on bigger grounds that give their speedy attack and the livewire midfielder Katsumi Yusa, the breathing space to set the pace and tone of the match.
Bagan will be without two key players in defender Luciano Sabroza and midfielder Pranoy Halder, both suspended with four bookings. Luciano has been instrumental in keeping the defence together. Sen has Raju Gaikwad and Sanjay Balmuchu to pick from, neither in the same class as Luciano, and that could be the Achilles heel that could hurt them as Darryl Duffy and his boys come calling.
“Salgaocar is a good side with a lot of talented players and have improved after Kashyap took over. Kashyap is very experienced as player and coach and knows Indian football well. We have a good bench so we are not worried about replacement. We will go for a win as that is out goal,” said Bagan assistant coach Shankar Lal Chakraborty.
“Salgaocar’s start to the season was fraught with injuries. Most of the players, including Duffy, Haokip, Martin Scott, Jackichand, Seityasen Singh, all key players in the side, have just come out of injury and now getting into their rhythm. It will take time and the boys are working hard to win every game they can,” said Kashyap.
“What is more important is, they are growing in confidence and improving with every game. We will stick to our attacking game but will have to keep our errors down as Bagan are on a roll,” added the Salgaocar coach.