I-League promises unparalleled drama in the bottom half

The relegation battle tightens up as every point becomes precious.

Six different champions in the last seven seasons. Labelling the Hero I-League as unpredictable has become routine over the years. Another nail-biting finish awaits us this year. But this year, it means more. It’s not just about lifting this coveted trophy, but also about earning a chance to be promoted to the Hero Indian Super League. The 2022-23 Hero I-League champions are less than a month away from coronation.

However, the interest shifts to the bottom half of the table tomorrow with two huge games lined up. Read what all four coaches had to say in the preview.

Real Kashmir face stern Mohammedan test

When Mohammedan Sporting and Real Kashmir met earlier this season in the Hero I-League, the former had grabbed full points, courtesy a second-half strike by Marcus Joseph. But the snow leopards are different beasts when they play in their own backyard – TRC Stadium. Besides, Mehrajuddin Wadoo is not in the coach’s corner anymore. His replacement Noel-Gifton Williams prefers a more attacking brand of football, which has earned them four points in the last two matches. The Kolkata side, therefore, will have their task cut out when these two teams meet again here on Saturday.

Mohammedan Sporting coach Kibu Vicuna said on Friday that no matter what the situation, playing at this venue is always tough. “We know that whenever you come to Srinagar, things are going to be tough because of the quality Real Kashmir have. The unusual weather and pitch obviously make it doubly difficult.”

He also did not think there was anything in their win in Kolkata that his team can learn from. “The conditions are very different, the squads have changed and even Real Kashmir’s coach has changed,” he said.

The battle for survival gets heated

However, the Spanish coach said he and his team have worked on their own game accordingly.

It has become clear that neither of these two teams are in the running for the Hero I-League title. It is more about survival now. Both Vicuna and Williams are trying to win as many points as possible in the last few matches to avoid the drop. Vicuna’s boys have been either unlucky or wasteful many a time this season to be in the eighth spot with 20 points from 17 matches.

Real Kashmir, on the other hand, have not been able to balance their away form with the home form. They have been almost unbeatable at home but struggled to win when they had to play a string of matches away from home. As a result, they are languishing in the ninth spot on the table with 20 points in 16 matches. With change in strategy, formation and personnel under Noel-Williams, they have looked a better side in the victory against Sudeva Delhi and the draw against NEROCA. They have also netted six goals in those two matches, with defenders like Richard Agyemang and Jestin George scoring, too. That means the Mohammedan Sporting defence, consisting of Sairuatkima, Ousmane Ndiaye, Sandip Mandi, Sebastian Thangmuansang and the like have more to worry about than just Ibrahim Nurudeen or Wadudu Yakubu.

Noel-Williams is expecting a tough fight from the Black and White Brigade because “they have some exciting players as well as some very experienced ones.”

His penchant for playing attractive football shone through when he said, “We’re in front of our home fans, so we’re excited to score goals and win.”

Talking about the first-leg defeat to the same opponent, he said, “That won’t create pressure on my players. Had I been the coach back then, it could have. But I have come with a new philosophy, new tactics. So whatever happened before doesn’t matter.”

“I’m very happy with what the boys have achieved in the two games we played since I took charge,” he added. Williams also indicated that he could tweak a couple of things tomorrow to surprise Mohammedan Sporting.

The match will be telecast live on Eurosport, DD Sports and Discovery Plus OTT platform from 2 pm IST.

Mumbai Kenkre crave victory against free-falling Rajasthan United

In a crucial relegation battle in the Hero I-League, 11th-place Mumbai Kenkre FC will host 10th-place Rajasthan United FC at the Cooperage Stadium on Saturday, February 18, 2023, with the kick-off slated for 4:30 pm IST.

Mumbai Kenkre had a pretty disappointing outing in their previous game against bottom-side Sudeva Delhi, losing 1-3 on home soil. The Mumbaikars missed the chance to go within touching distance of their next opponents Rajasthan United, and are now four points below safety. However, Kenkre will get a big boost in their survival battle provided they beat the Desert Warriors on Saturday and cut the gap to a solitary point with just four more games to play after that.

Both Kenkre and Rajasthan are currently on a long winless streak, which could make for a feisty and desperate battle. While the hosts have failed to win any of their last four games, the streak stretches to six for the visitors.

Rather interestingly, the last win for both teams came against league leaders Sreenidi Deccan in January. While Mumbai Kenkre triumphed 2-1 at the Cooperage, Rajasthan United edged Sreenidi 1-0 in Delhi.

Addressing the media at the pre-match press conference, Mumbai Kenkre head coach Akhil Kothari said, “Our approach and intent is to progress. The players are training hard and the spirit in the dressing room is high. We just need a bit of luck.”

“Tomorrow, if we are able to get a better control of the game, we will be in a better situation.” the Indian added.

Being in the relegation scuffle is something no team wants, however, Kothari feels his men are up for the challenge and are confident of turning their season around. “The players are aware of the situation we are in and the challenge we will be facing. The attitude in training has been fantastic, and with a positive result tomorrow, I think we can turn things around.”

Pushpender Kundu’s Rajasthan United had victory snatched from them right at the death by Gokulam Kerala. After leading for almost the entire game, the Desert Warriors conceded twice in second-half injury time and were condemned to their sixth defeat on the trot. It was a similar story against Aizawl earlier this month when they conceded a 97th minute winner.

“They were all close contests, but that’s the beauty of the game. You never know what’s going to happen until the final whistle, and that has been bad for us,” said Kundu.

“The boys were close to winning those games but anyway, we learnt a lot from them, and we will do better tomorrow against Kenkre,” he added.

Local players negate home advantage for Rajasthan

Kundu feels having many Mumbai players in his squad could help negate Kenkre’s home advantage. “It’s always an advantage for any team to play at home, but we already have 4-5 local lads who know the conditions well. So it will be a normal game for us, however, Kenkre have caused many upsets here, and we are taking them seriously,” he said.

The match between Mumbai Kenkre and Rajasthan United will be broadcasted live on Eurosport and Doordarshan Sports and streamed live on the Discovery Plus OTT platform at 4:30 pm IST.