Manolo Mania faces Molina Muralla in a High Stakes Encounter | ISL 24-25 Match Preview

When stars align, the impossible becomes possible, the night becomes the one we see in dreams and miracles happen. Just when it seemed like Bengaluru FC were opening up a lead at the top of the table towards the beginning, the Champions made them feel their presence, i.e., win games when it all seemed impossible - they lay down a real marker and say 'beat that'. 

Just when the clock was ticking down at the VYBK against Kerala, with the 35k odd spectators discussing how a loss would derail the title chances and how they'd be happy with only a draw, the impossible happened.

Suddenly a train took off at a breakneck speed, coasting through the fine thin blades of grass evading every challenges that came his way, suddenly the enthusiasm waxed in the stadium, the theatre of dreams - and also heartbreaks, the pull back was worked beautifully into the back of the net by the Aussie stalwarts.

That train is named Ashique - Mohammed Ashique Kuruniyan; yup the same guy who suffered a horrific ACL injury last year, running and flexing his speed in an unstoppable way, leading Mohun Bagan to the victory, and winning the MOTM rightfully, but what about that Alberto wonder strike as well? Honestly, I personally believe that Mohun Bagan wouldn't have lost the game in any scenario, especially when they haven't lost or even dropped points from there; 2-1 down in the 88th minute.

But the focus changes from here, we still need to sustain it and get that magical 50 points. Yup, I consider THAT amount of points as our championship cutoff, we won a more competitive league last year with 47 points, and thus with two more games being added, 50 might seem to be THAT number. And we're halfway towards that number.

Goa however, is gradually coming back to form. With Jhingan back from his own ACL struggles and performing at a very decent level, their defence is bolstered. Still they almost squandered the two goal lead against Bengaluru FC, so they have their frailties in their shape as well. Now it is up to our analysts and coaches to identify and exploit them.

FC Goa Players to Watch Out For

Sahil Tavora

A very underrated player in my eyes, Sahil is probably one of the best Indian defensive midfielders in the league. He would rank high even if we consider foreigners too, he can win duels, he can find a through pass - but what else? He can also shoot from distance just like the one he scored in an ISL Cup final, and one against Bengaluru last game too. 

Akash Sangwan

A very unique profile, infact if he gets to a three at the back system, he could be a very efficient LCB. His ball playing capabilities are one of the best for a defender in the league, and he can take set pieces too. He can overlap and get the ball in good areas with immaculate positioning. He can even win the odd aerial ball. A complete package.

FC Goa: Tactical Analysis

(Courtesy: ISL on JioCinema)

So let's view the attacking shape. Just like many other ISL teams, FC Goa believes in overloads, overloading a flank, but this image isn't necessary the norm. They can spread and widen the pitch whenever they want and can harm any team using their width. 

In this picture you can see how the opposite wingback in near side is being neglected which later cost Bengaluru FC in the build up to the freekick which caused the first goal. We should prevent overlaps happening on both sides.

(Courtesy: ISL on JioCinema)

On the defensive part, they have compacted themselves a lot in recent weeks, as I said, Jhingan alone had held the defence together in terms of positioning, still the team is not invincible or anything. The defence can be broken down by intricate wingplay, we need to take advantage of the overlaps happening and look for the spaces their wingbacks will leave.

Onaindia and Jhingan are great box defenders so we can pin a very little hope in getting something from crosses, but we can get something from rebounds as Hritwik is still very inexperienced and has had problems in pushing the ball outside danger areas.

(Courtesy: @statpeekers (X))

The graph shows that even though Mohun Bagan are ahead of Goa in points table, the underlying numbers aren't much different. There are two sides in this coin however, their defensive numbers are kind of equal to us but they have been more shaky defensively. Goa scores goals almost at our ratio but concedes some too. So we need to keep our focus tight and aim for another away win.

The Situation for Mohun Bagan

Much has been said about FC Goa, however let's see what's brewing in our own home. The most glaring problem right now is Ashique Kuruniyan and how and when he should play right now. The thing is that, he provides us with separate dynamics than both Liston on the wing and Subhashis on the full back position, however Molina seems fixated on playing his strongest eleven every game. So I guess for him, substitute cameos, changing the course of the game is the way.

Cummings, as he's always proved so far in his stint, is an insanely clutch player, and he impacted that game significantly, not only with the goal but also with the dribble and pass to Subhasish leading upto the Alberto strike. And I would guess he would continue to impact us as a super-sub.

But the biggest problem of all is Stewart, considering he is out of the Goa game aswell. However the problem remains, how much can we rely on him? What if we need a game changer in a deadlocked game like Chennaiyin? Those questions will sting Mariners until he's fully fit. Still the team is in a sweet spot, top of the table and we can go further ahead with a win, excited for the times ahead.

Potential Lineups

FC Goa

Hritwik; Boris-Onaindia-Jhingan-Sangwan; McHugh-Tavora; Udanta-chettri-Drazic; Iker.

Mohun Bagan

Vishal; Rai-Alberto-Aldred-Bose; Apuia-Sahal; Manvir-Petratos-Liston; Cummings.

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