How explosive Jamie Maclaren can be Mohun Bagan's special weapon to sealing first-ever ISL double

Jamie Maclaren has been a key player for the Mariners since his summer arrival from Melbourne City FC.

Jamie Maclaren’s having a party! The Australian forward has played a vital role in ushering Mohun Bagan Super Giant closer to winning the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) shield by picking up form at the business end of the season.

His excellent first-half brace in the recent 3-0 thrashing of Kerala Blasters showed just how clinical he can be in front of the goal. Maclaren has scored four goals in his last two appearances for the Mariners and is picking up form just before the ISL playoffs. He’s now entered the joint top three in terms of highest goal-scorers in the ISL this season, having the third most goals for any foreign player in the division.

While equaling or surpassing Alaeddine Ajaraie’s tally (currently on 20 goals) to the Golden Boot race might be a tough ask now, Maclaren is looking at his sharpest in the season’s final stretch. His performances can significantly impact the Mariners’ ability to retain the league shield and attempt to win their first ISL double.

Here, we look at how Maclaren can be the special weapon for the Kolkata giants in helping them to a perfect end to the 2024-25 ISL campaign.

Getting into better final third areas consistently

What has made Maclaren a tormenting factor for any defender in recent weeks is how well he’s been timing his runs in the opposition half. Coach Molina has also allowed him to play further forward because of the aid of Jason Cummings or Greg Stewart in that No.10/Second Striker role.

As a result, the Australian forward has been given the license to terrorize defenders with his clever running pattern into the key areas in the final third. Maclaren likes to fool his markers with his movement and intelligent game reading, increasing his unpredictability.

He also prefers to make some darting off-the-ball runs to get past his marker, and he’s timing these particular runs more efficiently as we head into the campaign’s final stretch. If Jamie can continue sneaking into the key goal-scoring positions without alerting defenders, he should get at the end of many more chances and keep scoring key goals for the final few matches of the ISL season.

Better understanding with his fellow forwards

Maclaren didn’t have the most eventful first half of the 2024-25 season for the Mariners. He had injury struggles after joining the club, which directly impacted his ability to adapt to how the team plays. The 28-year-old only scored three goals in the first 11 ISL games of the campaign, but his form has significantly improved since the turn of the new year.

A significant reason for that is the Australian forward working hard to create the right chemistry with his teammates. As he’s been able to train with the likes of Jason Cummings, Greg Stewart, Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco more often – he’s realized how to tweak his playing style to complement theirs. The forward now almost has a mutual understanding with these players in ideally linking up in their attacking patterns to terrorize the opposition teams.

Jamie knows how to time his runs perfectly, and the Mohun Bagan players understand his playing style and know exactly where to deliver the passes to send him free through on goal. He is positively impacting Mohun Bagan’s form and Maclaren’s goal-scoring ability, and his sizzling partnership with his fellow forwards can lead the Mariners to utmost glory this season.

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Improved goal conversion ability in ISL games

The best thing about Maclaren’s impressive recent form is how well he’s striking the ball and converting the opportunities at his disposal. The most prominent example would be his showing against Kerala Blasters, where his first-half heroics almost single-handedly uplifted the Mariners at a time when the Tuskers were dominating them.

He doesn’t take that many opportunities to get amongst the goals and can finish off chances from different situations. Maclaren showed that in the last match, converting from close range for the first and then a fantastic first-time effort for his second. He even produced a stellar left-footed finish that was ruled offside.

He is a multi-faceted modern striker with an impressive range of shots for putting the ball into the back of the net. Maclaren has scored 10 goals from having only 16 shots on target in the 2024-25 ISL season, showing how ruthless his final product can be. He has a 41.67% goal conversion percentage and is peaking at the right moment.

If Maclaren continues his excellent goal-scoring ahead of the final sprint in the ISL campaign, then the Mariners will dominate their way to winning the ISL title and do the ISL double that evaded them last season.

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