Talking Points: Mason Robertson is the backbone of Real Kashmir's defence

The Mariners seemed to be the better team towards the end of the match, with the second division champions lacking ideas in the final third.

Mohun Bagan sneaked out with a win against Real Kashmir FC in their I-League fixture, at the TRC Turf Ground. Mohun Bagan won 1-0 courtesy of a Dipanda Dicka header. The win moves the team from Kolkata from fifth to the second position on the table, two places above heated rivals East Bengal. Dipanda Dicka scored his third goal of the season, which means he now has scored as many goals as his other teammates combined in the league this season.

Below are the talking points from the game held at the TRC Turf Ground:

5. It was a game of goalkeepers

It was a battle between the two in-form goalkeepers, Bilal Khan and Shilton Paul. While Bilal Khan failed to keep a clean sheet even after a strong performance throughout the game, Shilton Paul did manage to keep Gnohere Krizo and his fellow attackers at bay.

Bilal Khan continued from where he left in the first three matches, denying the eventual goalscorer Dicka and co and collecting all the long balls from Yuta Kinowaki meant for the Mohun Bagan forward line. Shilton Paul kept his cool throughout the second half when the attack of Real Kashmir was motivated to find the equaliser.

4. Mason Robertson is the backbone of Real Kashmir's defence

Mason Robertson is one of the most important players for the team from Kashmir and yet another reason why opponents have found it difficult to score against them. Claiming Robertson to be a defender would be a crime for all the good work that he does while his team is attacking, Mason Robertson's contribution at the back is what makes him the asset, he is to his team.

The Scottish defender, who is also the son of head coach, David Robertson, bailed his team out of critical situations not less than four times and had there not been him, the team from Kashmir would have been humbled by the travelers in front of their own crowd.

3. Real Kashmir are over-dependent on Gnohere Krizo for goals

Robertson's side have become too reliant on their African forward

Real Kashmir have gone goalless for the third consecutive game at their home stadium in the I-League. The team promoted from I-League second division is highly dependent on Gnohere Krizo for breaking the opposition backline, and the 21-year-old Ivorian forward was left isolated up-front.

Krizo cut a sorry figure throughout his stay on the pitch, failing to create any impact and the team offered very little support, especially in the first 45 minutes of the play. If Real Kashmir have to stay in the hunt for yet another season in the first division, it would be best for them to get their attacking line better organised and play more cohesively, rather than just one forward trying to take on three defenders with little help from the others.

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2. Mohun Bagan lack a cutting edge in their attack

The Mariners have scored twice against the lowly lying club Aizawl FC and twice against the young guns Indian Arrows. Apart from the two games, the forward line of Mohun Bagan has lacked the confidence and the extra bit of spark that they showed throughout the Calcutta Football League games.

Be it because of their star man, Sony Norde, not starting games yet, or be it because of some other reason, but the Mohun Bagan frontline has been guilty of not creating enough problems for the opponents. The fans of the Mariners would wish to see Sony Norde back again, who has already scored for the team in his only I-League appearance this season.

1. Long balls are not the key to success

The use of long balls have become a little too common in the league currently with paltry benefits

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While in the previous I-League fixture, Minerva Punjab tried it against Gokulam Kerala FC to a somewhat ineffective extent, Real Kashmir FC also tried the same, also failed.

Long balls for Krizo to chase, and even long throw-ins from positions near the half-line directly into the defensive box of Bagan, the reliance of Real Kashmir on long balls to breakthrough the Bagan backline was a poor strategy, to say the least. And with no results for the teams to show for all those chasing of the ball, the coaches should try something else when there's still time to.