We Believe In Team Work And Coordination At Mohun Bagan: Sanjoy Sen

NEW DELHI: Who doesn’t fantasize of romantic and fairytale endings in the cosmology of Football? Who doesn’t have a fetish of seeing Champions getting pummeled by the challenger? And who doesn’t dream of a title-decider between two of the best Teams in the country? And that is what’s in store for the myriads of Hero I-League fans on Sunday (May 31, 2015).

After 13 long years, title aspirants McDowell Mohun Bagan stand on the verge of being crowned Champions of Hero I-League; that is if they manage to draw or defeat current Champions JSW Bengaluru FC at the Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru on what has turned into the grand finale of the ‘holy grail of Indian Football.’

With tensions boiling and history on the course of being re-written again, www.the-aiff.com caught up with Mohun Bagan’s Head Coach Sanjoy Sen and conversed at length about his squad’s preparation for the final match, handling the immense pressure, Bagan’s aim for the last match and a lot more.

EXCERPTS:

You go into the final match with a 2 point lead over JSW Bengaluru FC. How do you define that?It’s a double edged sword. It’s an advantage because we are currently at the top of Hero I-League and that is bound to inspire us. At the same time it’s a disadvantage because JSW Bengaluru FC have nothing to lose and will play with their natural game. You never know, it may hurt us.

Bagan only need a draw to crown themselves as Hero I-League Champions. Will you apply ‘park-the-bus’ tactics?Never! We will play for a win. If we play with a defensive mindset then we have already lost the battle before it has begun. Committing bodies behind the ball is bound to leak goals and that is something we will not do. We will adapt an attacking approach and see how it pans out.

Bengaluru FC have big match players. How do you thwart them?If we play together as a Team we have the capacity to subdue anybody. That said Bagan and Bengaluru FC are two of the most consistent Teams in Hero I-League and we have to be wary of them. It will certainly not be a walk in the park for us — we will have to be at the best of our abilities.

Bagan defeated JSW Bengaluru FC 4-1 last time around. Do you think it will play as a psychological advantage?I don’t think there will be any psychological advantage. It is a new match, a chance for both Teams to garner a win and we will play it as so.

Any pre-match jitters?Everyone present within the Bagan squad is aware of the significance of the match. If there is any pressure then the Players need to absorb it. We have worked hard to reach this point and we hope to see it through. We just need to emulate our best selves and play like we have in the Hero I-League, all season long.

What was your mantra behind this monumental run?I would attribute it to our team spirit. We played good Football in the Hero Federation Cup and we started to build our Team from there. I knew that my Team had the potential and I had mentioned of being title aspirants at the very start. For that we needed to play together as Team and in coordination with each other. Team is above any individual.

What happened in between? Were you choking?The Hero I-League is a marathon one and scenarios like this happen. What matters is that we showed strength of character and bounced back to grab our opportunity. When you are downtrodden you need display your mettle and strength and we did just that.

Over the last two matches, Bagan’s opening goals have come via set pieces. That must have made you happy.We have practiced them regularly during training and I think hard work that we had put in, paid off in those two matches. But we can’t always rely on them to provide us goals.

‘Fans Make Kolkata Special’: Bengaluru’s Own Boy To Cheer For Bagan

NEW DELHI: They have been born in Bengaluru but their heart beats for Kolkata.

Call it the magic of Football, call it the nostalgia of playing for Mohun Bagan during their Club career or call it the love for the City which ‘made’ them what they are today, Narayanaswamy Ulaganathan and Babu Mani, prominent wingers in Indian Football, both of whom excelled at the Club level and International level, are not entirely Bengaluru’s own boys in the Championship decider of ongoing 2014-15 edition of the Hero I-League when JSW Bengaluru FC take on McDowell Mohun Bagan on May 31.

Presently on a vacation in Ooty, Ulaganathan, popularly known as Ulga during his playing days admitted he’s in a “dilemma.”

“Whoever plays well will win,” he mentions. After a pause, he adds: “I played for Mohun Bagan for 8 years. The respect which I received from playing in the Club will stay with me forever. In fact, it pertains to all the Clubs in Kolkata. Nothing can replace it; nothing can take that away from me. The fans in Kolkata worshipped me like a God. How can I betray them?”

“And on the other side, Bengaluru is my native place. How do I balance this?”

“Namma Ooru Bengaluru (Bengaluru is my City), Amar sohor Kolkata (Kolkata is my City),” he adds in one breath.

“If I am back in Bengaluru on Saturday, I will definitely go to watch at the ground. Or else, I will watch it on TV,” Ulaganathan, who was never flashed a yellow card ever in his life, mentions.

Unlike Ulaganathan, Babu Mani was willing to take a side. “I will support and root for Mohun Bagan. I have played for Bagan for over eight years. What I am today is entirely because of the green and maroons,” he admits.

“I have played Club Football in Bengaluru for just one season for ITI (Indian Telephone Industries). Bengaluru FC are a professional Club and are doing very well. But if you ask me to back a Club on 31st, I will cheer for Bagan.”

“Namma Ooru Bengaluru (Bengaluru is my City),” he pronounces only to assert: “Amar Club Mohun Bagan (Mohun Bagan is my Club),” Mani told www.the-aiff.com. An emotional Mani further added: “Mohun Bagan is like my mother. I am her child.”

“I can foresee the madness in Kolkata if Bagan win it,” Mani said from Kolkata. “But it’s still an unfinished job. You need to go and complete it.”

Elaborating Bengaluru FC’s initiatives, Mani stressed that the “Government should be backing such a noble cause for the promotion of Football.”

“I second that,” Ulaga stated. “Bengaluru FC are an entirely professional Club. I want more such Teams to come into the League. That will encourage all.”

Both Ulaga and Mani felt it’s a dream situation for the Players. “Win it for your Club and be immortal in their history,” they said unanimously.

“But the passion in Kolkata is something else. You will be carried on your shoulders and spoken of about ages. The fans make Kolkata special. Football is all for them.”

RA	Team	Pts
1	McDowell's Mohun Bagan	38
2	Bengaluru FC	36
3	Royal Wahingdoh FC	30
4	Kingfisher East Bengal	29
5	Pune FC	29
6	Mumbai FC	21
7	Salgaocar FC	21
8	Sporting Clube de Goa	20
9	Shillong Lajong FC	20
10	Dempo Sports Club	19
11	Kalyani Bharat FC	18