ISL 2020-21: East Bengal: Team Preview: Squad, Fixtures, Best Players, Strength, Weakness, Prediction

Bengaluru, Nov. 14: 27th September saw East Bengal enter the Indian Super League ring. The long-wait to enter the ISL, and play alongside the top clubs of the country was finally over after the Kolkata giant made its way into the glitzy football league.

And what better way to get their ISL campaign underway than take on arch-enemy, Mohun Bagan. Bagan, who joined hands with seasoned ISL team ATK. ATK-Mohun Bagan will also be playing in their first ISL season.

East Bengal, one of the I-League giants, will be hoping to make a mark in their maiden ISL season. One of the most anticipated matches of the upcoming edition of the ISL will be the Kolkata derby between the two Bengal giants.

Here, mykhel does a SWOT analysis of the squad.

Strengths:

The Red and Gold brigade, under manager Robbie Fowler, will open their maiden ISL season against ATK Mohun Bagan on November 27.

Upon his arrival Fowler strengthened the line-up immediately. While the Spanish flavour has dominated the Indian Super League, Fowler added some British flavour as he bolstered the squad with a couple of strong English recruits, with Scott Neville, being Fowler’s first foreign signing.

Moreover the likes of Jacques Maghoma, Daniel Fox, Anthony Pilkington will make EB a formidable line-up for the upcoming season.

Weaknesses:

The pressure of making a mark in their maiden season will hang on the team’s head. Moreover, most of the recruits are new and haven’t played with each other prior to this. Hence, for Fowler to find the correct playing XI will be a task. With the team making its entry into the ISL in the last minute and Fowler bringing the players together just prior to the start, the coach will have his task cut out as he will look to instil his playing style and philosophy into the team.

Moreover, starting their season against arch-rivals ATK Mohun Bagan will add more pressure on Fowler and the players.

Fixtures (All matches at 7:30pm IST)

Nov. 27: East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan at Tilak Maidan Stadium

Dec. 1: Mumbai City vs East Bengal at GMC Stadium

Dec. 5: NorthEast United vs East Bengal at Tilak Maidan

Dec. 10: East Bengal vs Jamshedpur FC at Tilak Maidan

Dec. 15: Hyderabad FC vs East Bengal at Tilak Maidan

Dec. 20: Kerala Blasters vs East Bengal at GMC Stadium

Dec. 26: East Bengal vs Chennaiyin FC at Tilak Maidan

Jan. 3: East Bengal vs Odisha FC at Tilak Maidan

Jan. 6: East Bengal vs FC Goa at Tilak Maidan

Jan. 9: Bengaluru FC vs East Bengal at Fatorda Stadium

East Bengal Squad:

Goalkeepers: Debjit Majumder, Rafique Ali, Mirshad Michu, Sankar Roy

Defenders: Abhishek Ambekar, Anil Chawan, Daniel Fox, Gurtej Singh, Lalramchullova, Mohamed Irshad, Nayaran Das, N Rohen Singh, Novin Gurung, Rana Gharami, Samad Mallick, Scott Neville, Pritam Singh

Midfielders: Aaron Amadi Holloway, Anthony, Bikash Jairu, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Haobam Singh, Jacques, Loken Meitei, Milan Singh, Mohammed Rafique, Sehnaj Singh, Surchandra Singh, Matti Steinmann, Wahengbam Luwan, Yumnam Singh

Forwards: Balwant Singh, CK Vineeth, Girik Khosla, Harmanpreet Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua

Key Players:

Jacques Maghoma, Daniel Fox, Anthony Pilkington, Scott Neville, Matti Steinmann, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Eugeneson Lyngdoh

Prediction:

A mid-table finish could be on the cards for East Bengal. Though on paper the team boasts of a strong squad, the lack of time to get into the groove and find their playing XI, might make it tough for the side. If Fowler manages to find his best XI early in the tournament, EB have an outside chance of making it to the playoffs.