Mohun Bagan to play without Barreto against AIFF XI

KOLKATA: After finding the touch with back-to-back away victories in the last two rounds, Mohun Bagan will look to maintain the momentum when they take on debutants AIFF XI in a round-II I-League clash at Yuba Bharati Krirangan here tomorrow. Mohun Bagan will rest their star striker Jose Ramirez Barreto bringing in Subair Muritala Ali up front with Edeh Chidi, in what appears a bold move by Subhas Bhowmick.

Asked about the ploy, the technical director said, "He did not practice today how can you expect him to play..." and he also ruled out any fitness worries for the Brazilian striker who has been the Mohun Bagan saviour for long. That the ageing Barreto is yet to hit a purple patch this season, might be one of the factors.

Fresh from their two successive away wins, Mohun Bagan will be confident of getting full points against the AIFF outfit that has been drafted into the league with an eye on 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Bhowmick said they could not afford to lose points as they would have to improve from here on with the side lying on sixth spot with 14 points -- still 12 points shy of table leaders and their bitter rivals East Bengal --after 10 rounds. "We have a young side and slowly they are hitting the right chord. We have to hold on to the winning run and make it a habit. There is no room for error now and we cannot afford to relax," Bhowmick said.

Mohun Bagan beat second-placed Salgaocar and got past minnows ONGC with an identical 3-1 scoreline in the last two matches. But even in the victories their weak defence conceded two goals that will again be a concern for Bhowmick. "Defence is still weak, there is still a lot of room for improvement. We are working on it," Bhowmick said. For the Desmond Bulpin-coached AIFF, there is nothing to lose. The side held JCT to a goalless draw in the last match as they have 10 points from 10 matches to lie on 10th spot. -PTI

Beleaguered Mohun Bagan coach steps down

Faced with intense pressure from supporters and officials alike, beleaguered Mohun Bagan coach Stanly Rozario today stepped down from the hotseat for "greater interest of the club". "Since Mohun Bagan is a formidable club and top contenders in Indian football, I want the team to bounce back and bring back the winning attitude," Rozario wrote in his resignation letter. "So at this point of time in the greater interest of the club and the team, I will like to step down from my job as chief coach."

With two consecutive defeats and a draw in the ongoing I-League, Mohun Bagan's campaign has got off to a jittery start. Conceding that Mohun Bagan are going through a crisis, club general secretary Anjan Mitra told PTI from Goa: "We are going through a problem at the moment. But we will not die -- this is not the end. Being one of the top clubs in India, we will tackle the situation bravely and bounce back." There is a strong rumour that Mohun Bagan are in talks with Belgian coach Phillippe de Ridder who is expected to be in the city next week. "We want to consider a lot of options, but I've no idea about de Ridder being approached." Like Rozario, de Ridder too had coachced East Bengal earlier. -PTI