Three things learnt from Sergio Lobera's first match as Mohun Bagan head coach

Coach demands improvement after Mohun Bagan beat the Yellow Army.

Mohun Bagan kicked off the Sergio Lobera era with a comprehensive 2-0 win over Kerala Blasters to start their 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) campaign in style. The Mariners were able to entertain their fans at the Salt Lake Stadium (Kolkata) with a thrilling showing, making for an entertaining display to get their title defence off on the right foot.

Sergio Lobera’s first game in charge of Mohun Bagan proved that he’s already made several changes to their system and approach to matches. The Mariners operated in a significantly different manner than they did in the 2024-25 campaign under Jose Molina, going for a more possession-heavy approach under Sergio’s system.

The Kerala Blasters clash was early proof of exactly how the Spanish gaffer wants the Kolkata giants to operate around him. It ended up being a fascinating clash where the ideas of Sergio Lobera were on display, as we now look at the three things learnt from Sergio Lobera’s first match in charge of Mohun Bagan.

3. Dimitri Petratos finds a new lease on life in a new no.10 role

Dimitri Petratos had quite the chaotic start to the 2025-26 season for Mohun Bagan, being criticized by fans for poor performances in the cup competitions. He was even involved in a heated interaction with supporters following the Mariners’ decision against travelling to Iran for the AFC Champions League two clash against Sepahan.

Despite uncertainty over his future earlier this campaign, it appears that the Australian forward has now bounced back to earn an important role under Sergio Lobera. After barely getting starts under Jose Molina last season, Petratos started the 2025-26 ISL campaign as the Mohun Bagan no.10. He seemed to thrive in the free role behind Jamie Maclaren, making smart moves into the final third and delivering clever passes into the danger zones.

Petratos ended up bagging the assist for Maclaren’s opening goal, while being a constant threat with his excellent set-piece delivery. It’s clear that Lobera is really fond of the Australian forward’s qualities, and Petratos might’ve discovered a new role as the Mohun Bagan no.10 in the Spaniard’s system.

2. Teething issues will take time to get solved

While Mohun Bagan did earn a pretty compelling win over Kerala Blasters, their performance wasn’t exactly the most dominant showing either. The Mariners did dominate the majority of the possession in the game, as should be the case for the majority of their matches under Lobera, but they weren’t particularly efficient in creating a load of open-play chances with all that possession.

Unlike Molina, Lobera allowed more fluidity and freedom to his players, even allowing his full-backs to march forward into the final third to create chances. However, it’s clear that the players are still not fully adapted to the Spaniard’s style. They experienced a bit of sloppiness in build-up play, leading to erroneous passes and moves being disrupted by silly errors. Lobera was particularly critical of his players’ obsession with backward passes, which put them under pressure from Kerala Blasters’ counter-pressing.

There are some aspects of Lobera’s system that the Mohun Bagan players must work on improving, which involve quicker link-up play, being brave in passing the ball forwards and more efficient in creating chances. Once they’re able to get rid of the teething issues in their game, Mohun Bagan should operate at a much higher level under the Spaniard.

1. Apuia could be among biggest benefactors under Sergio Lobera

From the get-go of the Kerala Blasters clash, it was clear that Lobera had assigned a crucial role for Lalengmawia Ralte – aka Apuia – in his system. Immediately after kick-off, Apuia took his place in the middle of the two centre-backs to create a fluid shape necessary for building moves from the back. The 23-year-old midfielder was a highly proactive figure all game long for the Mariners, buzzing like a bee in the midfield areas in anticipation of passes or making defensive challenges.

His desire to get on the ball and be a helpful ally to a teammate makes Apuia a vital cog of this Mohun Bagan side in Lobera’s system, because he loves an anchor figure dictating the tempo of his side in the midfield – as Ahmed Jahouh did for many of his teams. Apuia ended the Kerala Blasters clash with 98 passes completed with a 93% efficiency, nailing 15 passes into the final third and six accurate long passes.

It’s clear that Lobera will persistently use the India international to ensure Mohun Bagan dominates the midfield battle in matches, and this important role in the squad could help Apuia become one of the biggest benefactors from the Spaniard’s system.

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