East Bengal keep hopes alive for better times as they show improvement in ISL 2023-24

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East Bengal finished their fourth season in the Indian Super League. They started the 2022-23 season hoping to do better and they did. They haven't achieved a lot this season but their performance has raised hopes for their fans that good times are around the corner as Kalinga Super Cup success ended the title drought.

East Bengal changed everything drastically at the start of ISL 2023-24. After a horrible run in the previous season, they fired Stephen Constantine and brought in former Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat

Cuadrat, who previously won the ISL Cup with Bengaluru FC in the 2018-19 season, signed a 2-year contract with the Torch Bearers. Along with their head coach, they let go 11 players including five foreigners from last season. They only retained their captain Cleiton Silva.

Their start to life in ISL 2023-24 was not smooth. However, they managed to get away with several draws which kept them in the running. As the Indian Super League went on a break, East Bengal started their campaign in the Kalinga Super Cup where they did exceptionally well.

They won all the matches including a match against their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan in the group stage. They went on to win the tournament which ended their 12-year trophy drought. Fans became hopeful for better performances in the second half of the ISL 2023-24.

With the first match of the second half being the much-awaited Kolkata derby, the start would not be easy. They still managed to keep it afloat with a draw. However, it went all downhill from there as they lost seven out of their remaining 11 games.

They still managed to keep the hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages till the last game of the league stage but in vain. In the middle of the season, they loaned out a couple of players and loaned in a few players. This saw the newcomers take a little more time to adjust to life which ultimately cost them.