In a recent interview with The Indian Express, the former East Bengal coach Alejandro Menendez Garcia revealed how he convinced Manolo Diaz to take up the East Bengal job. After stepping down as head coach from East Bengal, Alejandro is still helping the Red and Golds. East Bengal announced Manolo as their head coach, a couple of days ago after Englishman Robbie Fowler left.
Manolo Diaz and Alejandro were familiar with each other since their Real Madrid days. Manolo was the coach of various age groups of Real Madrid. On the other hand, Alejandro was in charge of Real Madrid Castilla (reserve team) back in 2009. During Manolo's tenure as Real Madrid C team coach, the two Spaniards came to know each other and got along really well.
"I was coach of Real Madrid Castilla from 2009 to 2011. Manolo was coach of Real Madrid C. Since then we have been good friends."
In an exclusive chat with indianexpress.com, Alejandro revealed the dilemma Manolo was going through after receiving the offer to become the new East Bengal boss. He had several offers around the world including one from China. However, Alejandro pushed him for the East Bengal job. He convinced him that Kolkata has an unparalleled football tradition and the football-crazy atmosphere would make him feel alive every moment. That is when Manolo decided to say yes to East Bengal's offer.
ISL 2023-24, the domestic football league is starting from September 21. Image- Football Counter
Mohun Bagan's first match in the new ISL 2023-24 schedule is against ISL debutant Punjab FC. The match will start at Yuva Bharati on September 23 at 8:00 PM. While East Bengal are also starting their campaign at home. They will play against Jamshedpur FC on 25 September.
As previously announced, the domestic football league is starting from September 21. Southern derby, Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC will meet in Kochi on the opening day. No matches have been scheduled for the World Cup qualifiers from 9-20 October and 8-24 November. This time ISL 2023-24 night match will start from 8:00 PM. On days when there are two matches, the first match will start from 5.30 pm.
This will be the 10th season of the ISL and will have the highest number of teams in the league to date, with I-League teams joining the league through promotion from this season.
East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan Durand Cup 2023 Match Preview, Head-to-Head, and Team News: Both teams aiming for the 17th title; Spotlight on the Coaches and Referees
The anticipation is building as Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will face each other in the final of the Durand Cup 2023 at the VYBK stadium.
On Sunday, September 03, 2023, Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Emami East Bengal will face each other at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in the 'Kolkata derby', to earn the right to be called champions of the Durand Cup 2023. The match will kick off at 4 pm Indian Standard Time (IST). Both teams had a brilliant campaign although most of the matches were very close. East Bengal have already defeated Mohun Bagan once during the group stages so they will be confident enough to go against the dominating Mohun Bagan side in the ultimate clash. Although the Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando just stated it as a pre-season earlier, he is also changing his words right now. On the other side, Carles Cuadrat will try to improve his side by giving a brilliant performance against their rivals.
Both teams made it to the final after a fair share of controversy. East Bengal fans were accused of racism and hooliganism by NorthEast United supporters at the Salt Lake Stadium during the semis, which Red & Gold Brigade won dramatically in a penalty shootout after going 0-2 down in regulation time earlier.
Mohun Bagan, on the other hand, were handed a controversial penalty from a stupid call by the referee. The replays made it clear that FC Goa defender Jay Gupta fouled Ashique Kuruniyan right outside the box but the referee pointed to the spot instead. Mohun Bagan eventually won the game as Armando Sadikou scored a stunning goal in the second half to put the Green and Maroon Army at the front for the rest of the night.
The referees will be in the spotlight in the final as it surely will be an intense match. If any decisions go wrong, then there will be absolute chaos.
In Durand Cup history, East Bengal have won 9 times, and Mohun Bagan 7 times while drawing five times in 21 matches. East Bengal scored 17 times while the Mariners scored 14 times in those games.
East Bengal 1-0 Mohun Bagan SG; August 2023 - Durand Cup
East Bengal 0 - 2 Mohun Bagan SG; February 2023 - ISL
Mohun Bagan SG 2 - 0 East Bengal; October 2022 - ISL
East Bengal 0 - 1 Mohun Bagan SG; August 2022 - Durand Cup
Mohun Bagan SG 3 - 1 East Bengal; January 2022 - ISL
East Bengal: 1 win
Mohun Bagan: 4 wins
Draws: 0
East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan | Team News
East Bengal:
Prabhsukhan Gill will be guarding the goal line instead of training with the Indian U-23 camp for AFC U-23 in Bhubaneswar. Carles Cuadrat could instruct his EB side to sit back in front of their box and then release Nandhakumar Sekar, hero of the previous Derby win, and Naorem Mahesh Singh on the wings to whip in inviting crosses for target man Javier Siverio.
Midfielder Souvik Chakrabarti is unavailable to play the game after seeing back-to-back yellow cards in two matches. Cuadrat could field Cleiton Silva from the very beginning, which would mean sacrificing the defensive-minded Borja Herrera or playmaker Saul Crespo, a tough choice. His fullbacks Harmanjot Khabra and Nishu Kumar or Mandar Rao Desai would need extra protection when Aashique Kuruniyan, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, or Dimi Petratos run at them.
Carles Cuadrat celebrating the Semi-Final victory with his team
East Bengal Pre-match press conference:
Where does Carles Cuadrat place his side against Mohun Bagan?
"They have played four games and won the four games and so on. They are in another mode, they have that kind of dynamic, positive, and if you see they are playing every cup. So it gives good experience and, they have been beating the champion of Nepal, the champion of Bangladesh and the champion of India because they beat Mumbai and Mumbai was the champion of the ISL. So yeah, they have been building his mentality and also building the team physically," the East Bengal boss Carles Cuadrat said.
"But at the same time, we can see that most of the games have been by narrow margins. A lot of times it has been a penalty that opens the door for the victory. A lot of times it has been that they have conceded one goal. So yeah, it's going to be a great football match and we will try to use our weapons to try to get the victory for sure," he added.
Mohun Bagan SG has a near full-strength squad available for the final. Juan Ferrando has the luxury of falling back to his other options if his initial plan doesn't work like he brought Armando Sadiku to get him a goal during a tense period of play against Goa. Choosing four foreigners would be a happy headache for him as they have too many options.
Both teams are locked on 16 titles each. They would also want to go one-up on each other to become the most successful team in the history of the competition. This adds to the stakes of the contest. In their last meeting in the final, East Bengal won 2-1 in 2004, while MBSG last won it in 2000. Jason Cummings will be the biggest threat from the Mohun Bagan SG squad which boasts of brilliant attacking players. The striker leads the forward line expertly.
Armando Sadiku after scoring against FC Goa
Mohun Bagan Pre-match press conference:
What's the difference between the earlier loss against East Bengal and the upcoming Final?
For me, the past is the past. All the time we explain every month is different and the situation is against us. Now I think I'm happy because the players are fit. They are very, very, very important for us. You know I took it. We are happy because we reached the final. It's a pleasure to play the final, but it's totally different situation than the last match against them. This is a real target for us," the Mohun Bagan coach Juan Ferrando said.
"The thing is when you learn about the mistakes this time to training sessions to improve these days. But without training, I know it's the most important for me who be ready because in the last 10 days they played four matches. These players are playing in 90-90 minutes. So it's difficult to work in this situation. Because it's only recovery and it's not possible to work in training sessions. So we will accept this and repeat it after the final. I thought we'd be ready for the practice the next week. It's a normal situation with all the teams. Obviously, we can change some things or improve some details," he added.
Pawan Kumar: 31-year-old goalkeeper signed on a free transfer after a spell with Jamshedpur FC last season. The Punjabi custodian is a two-time ISL winner with Chennaiyin FC and won the League winners Shield with Jamshedpur FC last season.
Mohammad Rakip: The 22-year-old right back signed on a free transfer after a two-year stint with Mumbai City FC and was a member of India's 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup squad. The Manipuri defender has made 39 appearances in the ISL, winning the ISL double with Mumbai City in 20-21.
Ankit Mukherjee: The 26-year-old right back has been renewed after appearing for SC East Bengal in 21-22. The Kolkata defender has made 28 appearances in the ISL, winning the ISL title in 19-20.
Sarthak Golui: The 24-year-old centre back signed on a free transfer after a spell with Bengaluru FC. The defender has represented India 4 times at senior international level and made 52 appearances in the ISL.
Jerry Lalrinzuala: The 24-year-old left back signed on a free transfer after a six year spell with Chennaiyin FC. The Mizoram defender has made 94 appearances in the ISL, winning the title in 2017-18 and also winning the ISL Emerging Player Award in 2016.
Pritam Singh: The 26-year-old left back signed on a free transfer after winning the ISL with Hyderabad in 21-22.
Souvik Chakrabarti: The 30-year-old central midfielder signed on a free transfer after winning the ISL with Hyderabad in 21-22. The experienced medio has made 104 appearances in the ISL.
Amarjit Singh: The 21-year-old central midfielder signed on loan from FC Goa. The Manipuri midfielder captained India at 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup and has made 33 appearances in the ISL.
Mobashir Rahman: The 24-year-old central midfielder signed on a free transfer after winning the ISL league winners shield with Jamshedpur in 21-22. The Tata Football Academy graduate has made 53 appearances in the ISL.
Angousana Luwang: The 26-year-old versatile midfielder has been renewed after appearing for SC East Bengal from 2020 to 2022. The Manipuri has made 28 appearances in the ISL.
Aniket Jadhav: The 21-year-old winger has been signed on a permanent transfer from Hyderabad FC for an undisclosed fee. He was a member of the 2017 U-17 India World Cup squad and has made 47 ISL appearances.
Naorem Mahesh Singh: The 23-year-old winger signed on a permanent transfer from Kerala Blasters FC for an undisclosed fee. The Manipuri made 18 appearances for SC East Bengal last season while being on loan from Kerala and scored the match winning brace in the 2-1 win over FC Goa.
VP Suhair: The 30-year-old forward signed on a permanent transfer from North East United for an undisclosed fee. The Kerala man recently made his senior India international debut.
In latest ISL Transfer News Emami East Bengal FC are in advanced talks with NorthEast United FC striker VP Suhair over a three-year deal, IFTWC can confirm.
A source following the developments closely informed IFTWC, "Emami East Bengal FC is in advanced talks to sign 30-year-old striker VP Suhair on a three-year deal. Personal terms between the club and the player have been agreed and Suhair will be receiving an annual salary of more than 1.5 crores."
Born in Kerala, Suhair started playing in Sevens football tournaments during his childhood. He started his career playing for Calicut University and local clubs in Kerala. He also represented the Kerala football team in the National Games and the Santosh Trophy.
Later he joined Kolkata outfit United SC and played in the Calcutta Football League. He scored 5 goals in 10 appearances for the club. He then signed for Gokulam Kerala FC during the 16/17 season and scored 5 goals in 7 appearances. In December 2016, he signed for East Bengal FC. He played in 5 CFL matches and scored 5 goals. But unfortunately, he had suffered an ankle injury on the eve of East Bengal's season opener against Shillong Lajong.
He ended the season without playing a single match and finally, the club released him. Later on, he joined Gokulam Kerala in March 2018 on loan from East Bengal for his second stint.
He made 18 appearances and scored once for the Malabar-based club. In June 2019, Suhair joined another Kolkata giant Mohun Bagan. He was an integral part of Mohun Bagan's I-League title-winning squad.
In November 2020, Suhair penned down a two–year deal with ISL side NorthEast United FC. Suhair had scored 3 goals in 19 appearances for the Highlanders in the 2020/21 season.
Last season Suhair scored four goals and provides two assists for the Guwahati based side.
In the latest ISL news, it has been more than two weeks since West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee made the announcement of the tie-up at her office in Nabanna in the presence of East Bengal senior official Debabarata Sarkar and representatives from the Emami Group.
Emami Group top official Aditya Agarwal confirmed that they can cancel the deal with East Bengal if the agreement hasn't been reached between club officials on stake-holding pattern and other details. 🔴😶 #EBFC#SFtbl
"Both sides have agreed and the problem of East Bengal playing in the Indian Super League will be solved," Mamata had announced.
But, Emami Group's top official Agarwal said the negotiations were "still on"
The agreement hasn't been signed yet. The negotiations are still on. Everything will be clear by early next week," Agarwal told PTI.
According to reports, Emami wants 80 per cent stake and the legal departments of both the parties are negotiating to finalise the draft before it is signed.
Without revealing the details, Agarwal said: "Yes the discussions are about stake-holding pattern and other details.
"We are yet to sign the deal and if there are any differences the deal can get cancelled also. I don't want to be speculative, we are 100 per cent positive. Everything will be clear in a week's time," he added.
With the picture still not clear about their ISL participation in the upcoming season, the club's team-building exercise has stopped midway after a handful of announcements.
The 24-year-old midfielder Mobashir Rahman, who represented League Shield winners Jamshedpur FC, was the last to have joined the club.The red-and-gold outfit had two disastrous ISL seasons while playing as 'SC East Bengal'.
In their Indian Super League debut in 2020-21, they finished ninth out of 11 teams, and in the last season, they ended at rock-bottom as their association with Shree Cement Ltd. ended prematurely.
SCL had bought a majority stake of 76 per cent on September 2, 2020 to help EB make a last minute ISL entry.
But the association did not go off well as EB's executive committee refused to sign the final agreement, claiming discrepancies in the initial term, leading to the investors' pull-out after last season.
Before SCL, Quess Corp had bought a 70 per cent stake in East Bengal in 2018 but the relationship between the two entities soured and it lasted for two years before the Bengaluru-based left in June 2020.