Top five talking points from Calcutta Football League Gameweek 5

Currently, the Mariners are at the top of the table, followed by The Red and Gold Brigade.

This week of the Calcutta Football League (CFL) was echoing with the buzz of the highly-anticipated Kolkata Derby, which was a thrilling draw between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. It could be argued that the Derby was the best match in the CFL season so far, but despite it hogging all the attention, some other exciting matches also took place in the league.

Be it surprises or dominant victories, every team is looking to stake their claim at a top half finish in the CFL right now. So, let’s look at the five talking points from the league's Gameweek 5:

5. Can Calcutta Customs manage a top three finish?

Calcutta Customs had another interesting week in the CFL, as they were surprisingly held to draws by Tollygunge Agragami and Food Corporation of India. While they are still in contention for an impressive finish, Customs are making things harder for themselves by not taking matches against "smaller" teams seriously. They will need to concentrate and improve themselves if they’re to win the games during the final stretch of the season.

Customs' mental strength and attitude will be key factors in their end-season result and if they can keep a strong head and showcase improvement, they might be in the running for an impressive top three finish.

4. Do the breakout stars deserve a national team call-up?

The CFL has given a platform for some really impressive breakout stars this year, with the likes of Pintu Mahata, Arijit Bagui and Kamalpreet Singh all shining through for their teams.

Mahanta has arguably been the most improved player for the Mariners this season, while Bagui has proved to be among the most talented right-backs in the country. Kamalpreet has played in an unconventional defensive midfield role really well and made East Bengal a solid team. So, these players’ performances deserve wider attention.

The likes of Bagui and Kamalpreet have definitely proved their worth for getting a national team call-up soon, while Pintu can get one in the near future.

3. Mohammedan can still play a big part in CFL title race

Mohammedan Sporting had yet another topsy-turvy week in the CFL and even though their loss to Peerless was riddled with controversy, they showed signs of improvement with a win against West Bengal Police. It seems like striker Princewell Emeke has finally found his goalscoring touch for the Black Panthers and with two crucial matches against East Bengal and Mohun Bagan yet to come, Mohammedan will need to be at their best.

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Despite their shaky form, Mohammedan still have a solid and experienced squad which has the ability to cause problems for the giants. The Black Panthers could come up with a few surprises against their Maidan rivals and if they play to their potential, things could get interesting in the title race.

2. Johnny Acosta is the defensive general East Bengal have been craving for

Johnny Acosta finally made his long-awaited debut against Mohun Bagan on Sunday and it will be a debut the fans will remember for a long time. While it wasn’t the most rewarding debut for the Costa Rican, Acosta proved why East Bengal had shelled out so much to sign him. Despite going two goals down in just over 30 minutes, Acosta rallied his troops and inspired a stunning comeback by scoring the first goal himself. He seemed extremely comfortable on the ball and oozed confidence at the back.

Acosta is defensively solid, strong in the air and a real threat at set-pieces and seeing how good he is at marshalling his troops, he seems bound to be a leader for East Bengal in the near future.

1. Mohun Bagan’s title to lose

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Mohun Bagan have been in sublime form over the past few weeks and although, they will be gutted about wasting a 2-0 lead and only managing a draw against East Bengal, they are still comfortably ahead of their rivals. Bagan’s 5-0 thumping of FCI made sure that they have a superb goal-difference and have scored way more goals than the Red and Gold.

With their closest rivals East Bengal dropping points to Peerless recently,  it’s definitely Mohun Bagan’s title to lose as the CFL is almost in their grasp. However, if they let the pressure get to them, problems could arise in their next two games against Calcutta Customs and Mohammedan, both of whom are formidable opponents. But, seeing how well the Mariners are playing right now, they should skip past both their opponents and look to be on their way to lifting the CFL title after nine years.