Jose Molina outlines how Dimitri Petratos can rediscover top form for Mohun Bagan

Jose Molina also praised his opposition ahead of the Jamshedpur game.

Jose Molina’s Mohun Bagan are eager to get back to winning ways in the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) when they host a struggling Jamshedpur FC side on Saturday (November 23). The Mariners can inch closer to the top spot with a win over Khalid Jamil’s side but need to tap into their most vicious attacking form to do so.

They’ll be hopeful that inspiring forward Dimitri Petratos can get back to his best form in Greg Stewart’s absence. Petratos, who has recently reverted to the bleach-blonde hairstyle in the hope of regaining his swagger from last season, has only scored one goal for the Mariners this season.

But Jose Molina insists that the Australian forward remains a key player in his project and that rotating him was necessary because of the quality of the other foreigners. Ahead of the Jamshedpur FC clash, Molina stated: “I can’t speak about his performances last season as I wasn’t here, but I know Dimi was an important player for us. Now, he is still an important player. Maybe he has not gotten the minutes or always starting like in previous seasons, but we have Maclaren and Greg this year to compete with him.

“There are a lot of great players. It’s not good for the team that all the great players play at the same time, all of the top foreigners can’t play at the same time. We need some foreign players in the backline too, I have to make decisions and the rotations are what I’m doing. I’m trying to be fair with everybody and looking towards the best for the team.

“Dimitri Petratos is a talented player, he’s helping the team every time he comes onto the pitch. Sometimes he’s been more successful than others, which is normal for all players. He will continue being an important player here, as he’s working well and he won’t lose the talent. It’s time he can prove his quality on the pitch,” he added.

Petratos won the ISL MVP title in the 2023-24 campaign after scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists in 23 matches last season. He’ll aim to tap into his clinical self and blow away the Men of Steel at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.

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