ISL 2024-25: Mohun Bagan Super Giant Season Review

Mohun Bagan Super Giant have experienced their best-ever season.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant have experienced their best-ever season in the Indian Super League (ISL) with their undisputed dominance in the league in the 2024-25 season. The Mariners entered the campaign as the defending ISL League Shield champions but actually managed to do one better from their heroics in the 2023-24 season.

Ahead of the beginning of the campaign, the Mariners made a coaching change by roping in Jose Molina to replace Antonio Habas. The decision proved to be a masterstroke as the Spaniard refined aspects of the squad and utilised them perfectly to make the Kolkata giants operate like a well-oiled machine.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant recovered very strongly after a stuttering start, going on to win the ISL League Shield and breaking many records in the league phase. They picked up the highest points total for any side in a single ISL league campaign (56 points).

The Mariners also broke the clean sheet record (16 clean sheets), were unbeaten at home (12 wins in 13 games) and picked up more wins in the league phase than any other side has in a single ISL campaign.

It was definitely a season to remember for the Mohun Bagan Super Giant faithful, who saw their players play to their utmost potential to do the ISL double in winning the league shield and ISL trophy.

Here we look at an overview of how their 2024-25 season went.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s Performance in League

• Position at the end of the Season: 1st (champions)
• Number of Games Played: 27
• Victories: 19
• Draws: 5
• Losses: 3
• Total Goals Scored (GF): 52
• Total Goals Conceded (GA): 19
• Overall Points: 56

Top Performers

Jason Cummings

Cummings excelled under Jose Molina’s system in the 2024-25 season, especially in a withdrawn forward role. He was able to thrive under all the freedom he received, getting to create more chances and being a major thorn for opponents.

He ended the campaign with seven goals and six assists in 25 games, which included goals in both semi-finals as well as the finale. Cummings was able to create big chances with his excellent set-piece delivery and also scored a memorable free-kick against Jamshedpur FC in the semifinal.

He evolved himself to be more of a ‘team player’ and was an ideal support for Jamie Maclaren en route to winning both the ISL titles.

Subhasish Bose

The Mohun Bagan Super Giant skipper led from the front while enjoying a brilliant 2024-25 season. He was available and worked his socks off in every single game while being a major asset for Molina. He helped his side keep 13 clean sheets in 25 games, shutting out some of the most dangerous wingers with his diligent defensive work.

During the season, Bose was able to win 152 duels and make 124 possession recoveries, along with 48 interceptions, being a razor-sharp figure that neutralised any threat on the left flank. On top of his defensive heroics, Bose also scored six goals in the ISL campaign, being the third-highest scorer for his side.

Vishal Kaith

The 2024-25 season proved to be the campaign where Vishal Kaith finally made that climb to become India’s number 1. This was mostly because of his amazing work for Mohun Bagan in the ISL campaign. He was able to keep 15 clean sheets in 26 games, being an unbeatable shot-stopper in between the sticks for his side.

The goalkeeper made 75 saves in the campaign as well as 266 possession recoveries, acting like a hawk in his box to sniff away and neutralise the threat of the opponents. He showcased immense reflexes to make superb saves on a consistent basis and deservedly won the Golden Glove title after setting a record for most clean sheets in a single ISL campaign for any goalkeeper.

ALSO READ: ISL 2024-25: Bengaluru FC Season Review

Underperformer of the Season

Sahal Abdul Samad

Even though Sahal ended the 2024-25 ISL campaign with a league shield and trophy medal, his personal contribution was very little. The 28-year-old has had his struggles with injuries and fitness, which kept him away from being a regular in Molina’s system.

He made 19 appearances in the campaign, in which Sahal was only able to get one assist and couldn’t score a single goal. He went the entire campaign without a goal for the first time since the 2020-21 season, summing up the sad state of affairs.

Top Performances of the campaign.

Mohun Bagan won 19 of their 27 matches in the 2024-25 ISL campaign. Here are some of their top performances of the campaign.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant 2-1 Bengaluru FC

Mohun Bagan Super Giant 2-0 Jamshedpur FC

Mohun Bagan Super Giant 3-2 Kerala Blasters FC

Managerial Report Card

When Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s management made the decision to let go of Antonio Habas and replace him with Jose Molina, there were a few rumblings of frustration from the fans. Some supporters felt that this change would disrupt the momentum and combination of the squad. However, Molina would end up proving them spectacularly wrong.

The Spaniard needed a few games to get his side performing at optimum levels, as Mohun Bagan Super Giant won one of their first three games, even suffering a 3-0 loss to Bengaluru FC. But they hit their stride after that loss and went on to simply dominate their way to the title. Molina did a superb job in terms of rotating his squad and handling all his foreign players as perfectly as possible.

He gave opportunities to all the players in his first-team squad and managed to help improve the performances of players like Manvir Singh, Asish Rai and Liston Colaco. His decision for a foreigner defender pairing worked perfectly as Tom Aldred and Alberto Rodriguez played a key role in their defensive record.

Molina liked to switch up his tactics now and then, but his best formation came to be 4-4-1-1, one he agreed on midway through the season. This helped Jason Cummings thrive and also benefited those behind him.

Molina’s substitutions also proved to be highly effective, resulting in some game-changing moments and late wins. The Spaniard did all his impressive work with a feeling of calmness and patience around his team, ensuring they never built up any sort of nervousness and coolly strided their way to an ISL double.

Lessons Learned From The Season

Mohun Bagan Super Giant might have had a perfect campaign in terms of winning the League Shield and ISL trophy, but they did learn some valuable lessons. For one, they were vindicated for having utmost patience in their manager and his philosophy – allowing him to do his work as he liked and eventually finding big rewards for it.

The Mariners’ double-foreigner defensive partnership was a hit too, proving that this combination can work wonders as long as there are efficient Indian midfielders in his squad. The Kolkata giants also realised the sheer importance of having a solid defensive record, as their impeccable defensive line was a big reason for them winning the entire thing.

Moreover, the biggest lesson learnt from this campaign is the importance of squad depth. Molina had a lot of options at his disposal. He used them perfectly, resulting in perfect harmony. As long as a squad has players who can play multiple roles and quality back-up options, success is almost guaranteed.

Fan’s View

Even though the Mohun Bagan Super Giant fans had a nervy start to the campaign as their side lost in the Durand Cup final and had a shaky beginning in the ISL, their devotion and faith in the team was vindicated. It was a season full of joy for the Mariners’ faithful, who played a key role in their team’s success as well.

It was the Mohun Bagan Super Giant fans who filled the Salt Lake Stadium with huge numbers throughout the campaign, putting the opponent teams under pressure and giving extra energy to their players to keep a 100% unbeaten record at home. They also supported in large groups in away games, acting as the 12th man for their side.

The Mohun Bagan Super Giant supporters are highly satisfied with their team after seeing them clinch the 2024-25 ISL League Shield and trophy. The success of local boys like Subhasish Bose and Dippendu Biswas gives even more pride to the fans!

The Mohun Bagan Super Giant fans, however, will want their team to continue with this ruthless winning mentality. Moreover, they will have expectations that the team does well in the AFC Champions League Two in the 2025-26 season and keep the club’s name in bright light in continental competitions too.

What’s next for Mohun Bagan?

Mohun Bagan Super Giant have the opportunity to clinch a treble when they compete in the 2025 Kalinga Super Cup. The players are going to enjoy some much-deserved rest and vacationing period after that tournament before preparing for what should be a rigorous 2025-26 campaign.

The Mohun Bagan Super Giant management are also expected to be busy in the 2025 summer transfer window. They will look to improve certain areas of the pitch and make some more blockbuster signings to strengthen the squad well enough for them to compete well in the continental competition next season. Mohun Bagan have a challenging task ahead in the upcoming campaign.

They will have the pressure of defending the ISL double (league shield and cup) as well as proving their mettle in the AFC Champions League Two. If they can repeat their consistency from the 2024-25 season, some more special things might be on the way for the Mariners in the near future.

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