Three ways East Bengal can benefit from Kevin Sibille signing

Kevin Sibille joined East Bengal following a stint with Spanish side SD Ponferradina.

East Bengal have strengthened their defensive line ahead of the start of the 2025-26 season with the addition of Argentine centre-back Kevin Sibille to add more steel to their backline. In Sibille, the Red & Gold Brigade have been able to sign a hard-working player who has already gained admirable experience of having played in major competitions in his career.

Sibille is a graduate of River Plate’s youth academy and even made a few appearances for their senior team. He played for Valencia’s reserve side from 2020 to 2022 before playing in the Spanish football scene at the lower division level.

The 26-year-old is a feisty, proactive centre-back who can command his defensive line and harass forwards with his aggressive style. Sibille can play a role in helping East Bengal create a more stubborn defensive line next season and also keep more clean sheets. Here we look at the ways East Bengal can benefit from Sibille’s signing going forward.

Also Read: Three positives from East Bengal’s dominant start to Durand Cup 2025

3. Ability to frustrate threatening forwards

Kevin Sibille might only be around 26, but he has already garnered quite a bit of experience in his career. He’s had the experience of playing against a number of unpredictable forwards in the past, which is why he won’t be daunted by the prospect of squaring off against some of the Indian Super League (ISL) teams’ strikers.

Sibille is physically adept to not only hold his own against strikers but also bully them with his crunching challenges and clever man-marking ability.

He will definitely take it upon himself to neutralise the threat of some of the dangerous forwards in Indian football and stop them from causing trouble to East Bengal. Sibille’s ability to neutralise dangerous forwards’ threat should help the Kolkata giants be able to go toe-to-toe with any opposition and ensure they are even more defensively secure in the key matches.

2. Leadership traits to ramp up the energy levels of teammates

The Argentine defender comes with nearly a decade of experience of having played at the senior level, and he has learnt a lot from some of the quality teammates he’s played with.

Sibille has, understandably, also developed his own leadership traits and knows how to motivate his teammates on the pitch during key moments of the game. Even though there might be a language barrier, the 26-year-old is a vocal figure at the back who is ready to cover for his teammates if needed and also inspire them with how he carries himself on the pitch.

Sibille is ready to bark orders at teammates to help them fix their errors and positioning in the game, which should help East Bengal maintain a much more compact shape.

Sibille should add more leadership quality to the Red & Gold Brigade squad, and will look to lead by example by being a commanding, decisive figure who wins key duels and inspires teammates to work their socks off for the success of the team.

1. Forming a strong defensive partnership with Anwar Ali

Anwar Ali had a topsy-turvy debut campaign with East Bengal after joining them in the 2024 summer window. He produced some really strong performances, but it almost felt like the India centre-back was being held down by the inconsistency of those around him.

Anwar failed to form a strong partnership with Hijazi Maher and couldn’t continue his rhythm with Hector Yuste. But now, Anwar has a proactive, relatively young centre-back who can operate in the same wavelength as him. Sibille should enjoy playing alongside Ali in the East Bengal centre-back positions, with both being efficient and tenacious defenders.

Sibille will be looking to create a solid bond with Anwar, which involves knowing when to commit to challenges or move up the pitch for challenges while Anwar covers for him.

If Sibille can form that intuitive bond with Ali, then the two centre-backs can significantly improve East Bengal’s defensive structure and make them a real tough nut to crack.

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