Three East Bengal players who can replace Madih Talal after his ACL injury

East Bengal’s star midfielder Madih Talal is out for the season with an injury.

East Bengal suffered a huge blow in their recent 2-1 loss to Odisha FC by seeing influential midfielder Madih Talal suffer a bad knee injury. The Frenchman had to be taken off in the first half and looked in really bad shape, having to be helped out of the ground.

Talal’s injury looks quite serious and he appears to be set to miss a prolonged period, dealing a major headache for Oscar Bruzon. The Frenchman was starting to get into his groove and act as East Bengal’s creator-in-chief in the Indian Super League (ISL), with his excellent final third passes and versatility in the opposition box.

It’ll now be upon East Bengal to replace him from within their squad options, which could be tricky considering that Saul Crespo is also out of action with an injury. Here we look at the three East Bengal players who can fill in for Talal going forward.

3. Shyamal Besra

Oscar Bruzon could be tempted to look into adding some young blood to his East Bengal midfield in Talal’s absence. A player who can add a lot of positive energy to the Red & Gold Brigade’s team and help nail their vibrant pressing style is 20-year-old midfielder Shyamal Besra. He earned promotion to the East Bengal senior squad last season but has only made one appearance so far in this campaign. Besra is a hard-working player with enough technical qualities to hold his own against senior players in the ISL.

He had an impressive 2024 campaign in the RFDL (Reliance Foundation Development League) and also had some admirable performances for East Bengal under-21 in the Next Gen Cup in the UK earlier this year. Besra might not be that big a goal-scoring threat, but he can create chances and win key duels in midfield.

He’s energetic enough to do well with his pressing and will be willing to work his socks off, which is why Bruzon can add a new flavor to his side’s midfield by giving him more opportunities.

2. Naorem Mahesh Singh

Naorem Mahesh Singh is probably Bruzon’s trusted player in terms of filling in as the most advanced midfielder in Talal’s absence. Even though he had a few frustrating moments after shifting to the no.10 role against Odisha FC, Mahesh Singh still created four goal-scoring chances and benefitted from being given utmost freedom in that position. Singh has plenty of experience of playing in that no.10 role, having done so in the past as well.

He can benefit from operating in the central areas in Talal’s absence because it’ll free him up from just having to swing in crosses or move through into the box from wide areas.

He can probably be more concise with his passing into the final third from the central positions and also help get the best out of those ahead of him. Mahesh is yet to provide an assist so far this season, but that could change if he’s given more creative responsibilities and freedom to play his natural game in Talal’s position.

1. Cleiton Silva

Cleiton Silva has had a forgettable first half of the 2024-25 ISL campaign, not being able to get a single-goal contribution in 10 games. Even though the fans’ patience with him is starting to wear thin, Bruzon might not have a choice but to continue playing the 37-year-old because of the injuries to Talal and Crespo.

What he can potentially do is take away the burden of a no.9 from Cleiton’s shoulders and perhaps make him play a deeper role. The gaffer could opt to slightly tweak his formation to a 4-4-2 or a 4-4-1-1, where the Brazilian forward can play just behind the ultimate no. 9 – who could be Dimitrios Diamantakos or even David Lalhlansanga.

Silva created two chances against Odisha FC, proving that he’s still gotten enough creative intuitiveness to make things happen in the final third. Silva can perhaps benefit from being given the freedom to dictate his side’s game in the opposition half and make the clever, defense-splitting passes in the final third. Playing in a deeper role can perhaps also encourage him to try more shots from afar, as well as setting up chances to get the best of those around him.

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