How Jose Molina can stop Mohun Bagan from conceding goals with smarter substitutions

Mohun Bagan have conceded a lot of goals in their recent matches.

Mohun Bagan picked up their first win of the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) campaign by defeating NorthEast United in a thrilling 3-2 win on Monday (September 23). But it cannot be denied that it’s not exactly been smooth sailings for the Mariners in the early part of the campaign and they have shown signs of vulnerability, allowing opposition teams to cause them trouble.

The Mariners have looked shaky defensively in the majority of the matches under Jose Molina’s style so far, conceding 11 goals in seven games. They’ve only managed to keep clean sheets against the Indian Air Force (Durand Cup group stages) and FC Ravshan Kulob (AFC Champions League Two opener).

Conceding so many cheap goals is frustrating fans and it’s clear that the players are yet to completely grasp how Jose Molina wants them to play. The tactician probably also makes a few minor tweaks here and then to ensure that his side can be more compact defensively. One major aspect that he needs to improve is for Mohun Bagan to hold onto their leads.

They failed to do that against Mumbai City in the ISL opener and against NorthEast United in the Durand Cup final. They are conceding way too many goals after taking advantage, and there is a need for more compactness in their shape to frustrate opposition teams when they start pushing in on them.

Tweaking formation when in control

Jose Molina hinted after the NorthEast United clash that he has no strict formation set for his Mohun Bagan, but that his playing style is different. That could give him enough incentive to start changing up the Mariners’ formation to confuse opposition teams and potentially make his team even more stringent defensively.

When Mohun Bagan are in control of matches with a comfortable lead, they have enough depth on their bench to change up their shape. Jose Molina can opt to take off a forward or an attack-minded player and potentially replace them with someone who can play a deeper role, and add more bodies to midfield or defence.

ALSO READ: Jose Molina praises Mohun Bagan players for their efforts to learn ‘his way’ of playing

This can help the Mariners maintain a difficult shape inside their half and close down the spaces for the opposition players better in and around their penalty area. If Mohun Bagan moves deeper into their half, they’ll force opposition defenders to come up and this can give them the perfect counter-attacking chances – with the likes of Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh thriving in those situations.

Bringing in defensive players in second half

The Spanish tactician nailed his substitutions in Mohun Bagan’s recent game, with Sahal Abdul Samad and Jason Cummings linking up for the winner against NorthEast United. But Molina is yet to properly prove that he can nail his changes when his team is in control holding onto a lead during a match.

He can’t expect defensive compactness or discipline if he brings on more attacking players when Mohun Bagan are already holding the advantage. That is why it might be smarter to replace adventurous midfielders like Anirudh Thapa or Greg Stewart with midfield destroyers like Deepak Tangri or Abhishek Suryavanshi.

The former can also act as an extra centre-back due to his experience prior. Tangri and Suryavanshi both know how to disrupt opposition attacks with their feisty challenges and boast decent game-reading skills to cut out supply lines for the opponents in the attack.

Adding more protection for the defenders

Mohun Bagan appears to have moved away from the three-man backline as they played four defenders in the win over NorthEast United. But that didn’t help them that much as they ended up conceding two goals anyhow and saw their defensive line breached multiple times by the Highlanders.

A persisting issue in the Mariners’ system is a lack of a ‘destroyer’ in their midfield. They don’t have a no 6 who can stop the opposition’s rhythm while moving into their final third and hence there is often a big gap between the defensive line and the midfielders.

ALSO READ: How Mohun Bagan could lineup in AFC Champions League Two

Jose Molina needs to introduce more players who can bridge that gap and offer more protection to the defenders. This could be urging one midfielder to play a bit deeper to allow the centre-backs to drop off and not be forced into committing themselves to challenges.

The coach has hinted that Nuno Reis can play as a defensive midfielder, indicating that the Portuguese star might be used there. Be it Nuno Reis or any domestic player, Jose Molina needs to fix the shape of his midfield line and get at least one individual to play deeper to stop the defenders from feeling vulnerable in their half.

"Dil churane wo aa gaya" 💚♥️#MBSG #JoyMohunBagan #আমরাসবুজমেরুন pic.twitter.com/8UIHAzdf9R

— Mohun Bagan Super Giant (@mohunbagansg) September 25, 2024

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