Analysis by Suparno Chakraborty
As predicted East Bengal FC comes out with 3 points against NorthEast United FC with a 3-1 victory in Hero ISL 2022-23 match at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati.
Bora and Irshad made it all the easier for EBFC. Very simply put the NUFC squad lacks quality when it comes to combining as a team. Stephen Constantine read the game well to put Kyriacou as a defensive midfielder.
Playing as a defensive midfielder he mostly does not have to match with the speed of the opponent attacker unlike down the wings. Lalchungnunga, Jerry, Naorem and Cleiton were the key performers of the day for East Bengal. Naorem’s presence down the left flank was felt throughout till he was there.
The first goal also came because of Naorem’s pressing down the wings. During the preview I mentioned Irshad and Bora are the weakest links and they were miserable throughout. Romain’s injury was a blessing in disguise for EBFC as that allowed Kyriacou to play without much of a pressure.
Naorem’s ability to relentlessly track down made it easy for Jerry to have a good game. Once Naorem was out and Tuhin was in the left channel of the red and golds started looking shaky and Jerry was beaten on a few occasion. Jordan is yet to come at his best though he tried.
The goal Jordan scored deserves credit as he followed down to the highlanders’ box from his own defensive zone during the counter. Lalchungnunga was near perfect for the entire stretch with his disciplinary defensive skills. Cleiton had a brilliant game. He kept on pressing, drifted towards the flanks to make way for Suhair and Naorem to cut inside. Naorem made use of those space well while Suhair faultered. Suhair needs to figure out things as physicality alone will not help him neither East Bengal. Sarthak tried hard and had a decent game at the right back but he also had problems against Jithin but Jithin was short of ideas when it came to delivering the final ball. Ivan played the entire game almost without any pressure from Derbyshire other than two occasions out of which the later scored at the closing hours of the game as he nodded into the net at the first post while Ivan failed to mark him. On the other occasion Derbyshire was unlucky as the crosspiece denied him. To be honest Ivan Gonzalez is not at his best yet. It might be a bit too early but it seems he is on the downside.
Haokip had a decent game off the ball but must start getting more involved when it comes to deliver with the ball. With Cleiton drifting down to the midfield and towards the flanks created plenty of spaces for Haokip which he should have made use of.
Kamaljit must not be happy with his performance today as after having almost no pressure from the NUFC upfront he looked shaky when it mattered. During the dying moments of the first half a powerful shot from Emil Benny which he should have pushed towards the left flank but he fumbled and somehow managed to put a hand to deny Benny from scoring although his faulty goalkeeping made sure the rebound falls on Derbyshire ‘s feet who was denied by the crosspiece.
For Northeast United FC Emil Benny is a good prospect so is Jithin. Romain’s premature exit from the game made way for Emil and he was decent although he didn’t get any support in their attacking third to combine with so that they open up spaces in the East Bengal defence. Jithin has got speed, he can beat the opponent down the flank but was short of ideas while delivering the final ball and also lacked support. Gogoi could have caused more problems for Jerry but he wasn’t there on the pitch for the highlanders. Gaztanaga was short of support as Romain’s exit from the game broke their midfield combination and they failed to build up. Sylvester of NUFC should get more game time. His inclusion as a substitute started creating problems for the red and gold defence. This guy has the skill to beat his man, can carry the ball and distributes well.
Arindam continues with his lacklustre form from the previous season. It seems he is nearing the end of an illustrious career. Out of three the first two goals should not have been conceded and that too at the first post. Don’t want to take anything back from Kyriacou for the thunderous strike but a goalkeeper at the top of his game would have saved that as that was also onto the first post. However, the Northeast defensive midfielder and their defence line should also be held responsible as the former one didn’t track back and the defenders mainly Jakobsen did not block the channel during Kyiacou’s strike.
Mirshad should get to start from the next game. Marco Bulbul will have a lot of work to do in order to solve the Northeast puzzle and put the highlanders at a better position in the league table. At this moment it looks like an uphill task.
Stephen Constantine will be relieved after the first 3 points but he will also have a tough time ahead provided the dearth of options he has at his disposal. As it is said when you win everything looks fine but I am sure Stephen has noticed the mistakes and who knows it better than him that today he played against a team that’s weaker than his.
Overall it was a match for East Bengal FC to win and they have grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Picture Courtesy: East Bengal FC Twitter
