Field Vision

After making a few big moves in the summer transfer window, the Mariners are eyeing to defend their ISL Shield.

The Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season is all set to start on Friday, September 13th. Defending ISL Shield Champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant will face Mumbai City FC at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in the season opener. The Mariners will be eager to make a great start to their title defence. So far, no club has managed to defend their league title in ISL, and the Kolkata giants can create history if they do so. In this article, let’s take a look at how the Mariners have shaped up for yet another exciting ISL season.

Previous Season

The 2023-24 season was a fairly successful one for the Green & Maroon Brigade. They started the season by lifting the Durand Cup for a record 17th time. Then, despite the dismissal of their manager, Juan Ferrando, in the mid-season, the Mariners managed to win their first ISL Shield title under the tutelage of Antonio López Habas. MBSG also reached the final of the ISL Cup, but they suffered a defeat against Mumbai City FC.

Manager’s Profile

Mohun Bagan Super Giant appointed former Spanish National Team’s Sporting Director, José Franciso Molina, as their manager at the start of the season. Molina is not new in the Indian football circuit. The Spaniard has earlier guided ATK to the Indian Super League title in his only season at the club. So his experience in Indian football is set to help the Mariners in the upcoming season.

Summer Signings

Like their recent history, Mohun Bagan Super Giant once again spent heavily on their summer signings. The Mariners acquired A-League’s all-time highest scorer and Australian international Jamie Maclaren to strengthen their forward line. If this wasn’t enough, they also roped in former ISL Golden Ball winner Greg Stewert. The Scottish versatile forward, who can also play in the midfield, is arguably one of the best players in ISL’s history.

In the midfield, the Green and Maroon Brigade managed to snatch Lalengmawia Ralte, more famously known as Apuia, from Mumbai City. Apuia’s addition gives them a lot of balance in the pivot area. The Indian international will have to fill the big shoes of Joni Kauko, which will not be an easy task.

The Mariners released their foreign defenders, Hector Yuste and Brendan Hamill, ahead of the new season. Bagan signed Australian Tom Aldred and Spaniard Alberto Rodríguez to replace them at the heart of the defence. Aldred has vast experience, having previously played in Australia, England and Scotland. Meanwhile, Alberto Rodríguez is coming after producing a fantastic season in Liga 1 (Indonesian top tier), where he won the league title with Persib Bandung and made the Team of the Season. Both the defenders however are totally new to the Indian circuit and will need to adjust quickly.

Meanwhile, Mohun Bagan surprisingly lost the services of Anwar Ali, who joined their city rivals, East Bengal, which put a big dent in their squad planning. Molina’s side finished their transfer window with the homecoming of 24-year-old goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem. Dheeraj’s addition makes Mohun Bagan’s goalkeeping department one of the strongest in the country.

Youth Talents at the Club

Last season’s Super Cup was a very interesting tournament for Mohun Bagan. With senior players on national team duty, this became a big chance for the youngsters to show their mettle, and the player who grabbed this opportunity with both hands was Abhishek Suryavanshi. The midfielder established himself at the base of the midfield with Joni Kauko and then played a crucial role in Bagan’s ISL Shield triumph. All eyes will be once again on him.

At a time when Mohun Bagan was struggling with injury issues last season, young Bengali sensation Dippendu Biswas broke into the senior team and played many crucial minutes. This earned him a big contract renewal deal. With Anwar’s departure, the young defender will get a good amount of game time. The Mariners also possess youngsters like Suhail Bhat (a young striker who has become a fan favourite), Ravi Rana (a young fullback with good crossing) and Raj Basfore (a young versatile sturdy defender). All three of them have been in and around the first team dynamics.

Pre-Season

Mohun Bagan Super Giant started their pre-season in the final week of July. The Durand Cup 2024 also served as a crucial part of pre-season for the Mariners. Mohun Bagan topped their group with victories over Downtown Heroes and Indian Air Force. Their final group-stage match against East Bengal did not take place. Molina’s side then defeated Punjab FC (3-3 in FT) and Bengaluru FC (2-2 in FT) in penalties to reach the final. However, in the final, MBSG were beaten by a spirited NorthEast United FC (2-2 in FT) in the tie-breaker.

Tactical Approach

Throughout the Durand Cup, Mohun Bagan Super Giant used a 3-4-1-2/3-4-2-1 formation, and there are no indications that they will move from it in ISL. Molina’s side emphasise counter-pressing the opponent to win the ball back as early as possible. Then they try to keep long possession to control the game and wait for the right moment to create goal-scoring opportunities. That is where Apuia and Anirudh Thapa’s roles become very important. Apuia is undoubtedly India’s best game controller, and Thapa excels as a counter-pressing agent. The dynamic duo will have to be at their best for this system to work. Alberto Rodríguez’s ability to play out from the back will be crucial, too.

The wingbacks Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco will be providing the width, and a lot of moves are expected to happen through them. Mohun Bagan Super Giant have many options in the attacking midfield and striker position. From the tactical point of view, it will be interesting to see how Molina uses all of them. So far, we have seen one of the attacking midfielders dropping down in the midfield and helping the pivots to progress the ball. Meanwhile, the other joins the striker to make runs and provide options up top. That is a pattern they will follow throughout the season.

Challenges Ahead

Mohun Bagan Super Giant suffered a massive loss when Anwar Ali joined East Bengal on a sudden transfer. Replacing Anwar is going to be the toughest job for them. They have Dippendu and Tangri in their squad, but none possess the quality that Anwar has on the ball. Mohun Bagan may start with two foreign defenders in most matches to compensate for this. However, this will leave only two foreign slots for their attackers, which can limit Mohun Bagan’s attacking prowess.

One of the biggest problems of the three-back system is the space behind the wingbacks, which opponents love to exploit. Generally, midfielders need to cover the space, or the wide defenders will be exposed in one-on-one situations regularly. That looked like an area of concern for Mohun Bagan throughout the Durand Cup 2024. Teams did hurt them by exploiting the space, and the defence looked vulnerable due to that.

The Mariners will play a lot of matches this season as they will be representing India in the Asian Champions League 2. Hence, Molina needs to rotate his squad regularly to keep everyone fresh and injury-free. Nevertheless, the Spanish tactician possesses many options, and if he can find the right balance, this Mohun Bagan Super Giant team will challenge for the title.

Fans’ Expectations

Mohun Bagan Super Giant have assembled a star-studded squad. Hence, like every year, fans will be hoping to see their team defending the ISL Shield and challenging for the ISL Cup and Super Cup. The Mariners have been drawn into a tough group in Asian Champions League 2. However, fans would love to see them making a good run in the continental tournament.

Early Predictions for the Season

The Green & Maroon Brigade have been one of the most dominant teams in the Indian circuit recently. They have already reached the final of one tournament, and are one of the early favourites to win the ISL Shield. Mohun Bagan Super Giant will have good competition from teams like FC Goa, Mumbai City, Odisha FC and East Bengal but can get the job done if their new signings click.

Predicted 11 (3-4-2-1)

Vishal Kaith (GK); Alberto Rodríguez, Tom Aldred, Subhasish Bose (C); Manvir Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Lalegmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco; Sahal Abdul Samad, Dimitrios Petratos; Jaime Maclaren.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant Squad

Goalkeepers: Vishal Kaith, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Arsh Anwer Shaikh, Syed Zahid Hussain Bukhari.

Defenders: Amandeep Vrish Bhan, Subhasish Bose (C), Sumit Rathi, Thomas Aldred (Australia), Alberto Rodríguez (Spain), Dippendu Biswas, Raj Basfore, Asish Rai, Ravi Bahadur Rana.

Midfielders: Abhishek Suryavanshi, Anirudh Thapa, Deepak Tangri, Glan Martins, Lalengmawia Ralte, Ningobam Engson Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad.

Forwards: Dimitrios Petratos (Australia), Greg Stewert (Scotland), Jamie Maclaren (Australia), Jason Cummings (Australia), Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Mohammad Fardin Ali Molla, Suhail Ahmad Bhat, Ashique Kuruniyan (yet to be registered).

Coaching Staff: Head Coach: José Francisco Molina (Spain); Assistant Coach: Igor Taševski (Serbia), Bastob Roy (India); Goalkeeping Coach: Francisco J. Martinez (Spain); Fitness Coach – Sergio Garcia Toribo (Spain); Team Doctor – Nelson Pinto (India); Physio: Abhinandan Chatterjee (India), Kaushik Bhuiya(India).