I-League Media Team
GOA: Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen has told his players to forget their past debacles and instead focus on the task ahead as the Kolkata side attempts to win their first ever I-League title.
Mohun Bagan are leading the I-League table with 32 points, the same as defending champions Bengaluru FC, but Bagan have a match in hand and are topping the table due to their superior head-to-head record against Bengaluru FC.
Their next clash is against Sporting Clube de Goa at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Saturday, and coach Sanjoy believes in his team’s potential to stay firm in the title challenge.
“We have to forget what happened in the previous matches. From now onwards, we have to win all our remaining four matches and there is no stopping for us. We do not have to see what other teams are doing. We just have to focus on our matches,” McDowell Mohun Bagan coach said at the pre-match briefing on Friday.
Mohun Bagan were cruising along nicely in their title march but were grounded after losses against Royal Wahingdoh and Bharat FC. They were also held to a draw by lowly Mumbai FC.
“In a marathon league like this one, there are bound to be setbacks. We cannot win every match, so we have to take the losses in our stride. I am sure we can get back to winning ways,” said Sen.
Sporting Clube de Goa will provide a tough challenge, especially since the hosts are at the bottom of the pool and must start winning consistently to avoid relegation. Coach Mathew D’Costa agreed the challenge was huge but said he had the players who could turn it around.
“We believe in ourselves. There are just four matches remaining and we believe we can collect more points than anybody else,” he said.
Sporting grabbed a rare 2-0 victory against Bharat FC in their last match without talismanic striker Odafa Okolie, who was on the bench injured. The Nigerian striker has recovered from his thigh strain and is raring to prove a point against McDowell Mohun Bagan.
Sporting Clube De Goa play Mohun Bagan twice in their last four matches.
