Sony Norde to arrive in the city tonight
Kolkata: Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen will sit down with his players tomorrow to analyse the video of Lajong’s match against Bengaluru FC. The gaffer is determined to shrug off the lackadaisical performance of his side against Churchill Brothers in the first match.
Shillong Lajong on the other hand had a disastrous start to their I League campaign as they were thrashed 3-0 by reigning champions Bengaluru FC at Kanteerava on Sunday. The North East side has a depleted look with most of the reputed players signing for other clubs. Notable among them are Boithang Haokip who joined DSK Shivajians and Robin Gurung switching ends to East Bengal.
Nigerian Penn Orji and Brazilian Uilliam Silva could not be retained as they demanded a high price. The Thangboi Singto coached side has signed three foreigners – Romanian defender Dan Gelu Ignat, Japanese midfielder Uttah Kinowaki and Cameroon striker Aser Pierrick Dipanda.
Mohun Bagan coach seemed cautious ahead of his side’s match against Lajong. According to the gaffer, “Shillong Lajong has given us a lot of trouble in the past. So I have told my players to stay focused.”
On being asked what his strategy would be against the North East side, he said, “I have watched the entire Lajong match.We will sit down together tomorrowwith the video analyst and discuss our mistakes. I will discuss with my players and analysed their style of play before the match. They may have not performed well in their first match, but we cannot underestimate them. I have warned my players to be up for the task.”
Brazilian Eduardo, who did not turn up for the practice today, has been ruled out to play against Shillong Lajong. He was suffering from food poisoning and had to be taken to a hospital for check-up. U’22 player Subhasish Bose will also miss out the Lajong match as he received a Red card in the game against Churchill.
Coach Sanjoy Sen was not perturbed with the absence of Subhasish. “He played well until he was flashed the red card. He did showed a lot of confidence. I have at least 4-5 U’22 players who can take his place. We will decide only after the practice session tomorrow,” said Sanjoy Sen.
Meanwhile, Sony Norde will be arriving in the city tonight. It will depend upon the condition of Sony whether he will be in the side for the match against Minerva Punjab FC.
“It is good that Sony will be joining us. He is a quality player and was with us for the last two seasons. He also won us the I League. His contribution last season was remarkable. But I have to assess what condition he is at present. Will only decide after seeing him at practice.”