Three matches into their first season of the tournament, no goals scored, no points earned. For SC East Bengal, life in the Indian Super League has not been off to a good start.
The newcomers will look to end their disappointing start and notch some points on the board when they take on Jamshedpur FC at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco on Thursday. They currently the only side yet to open their account in the 11-team top-tier league.
ISL points table after match No 22
| Club | Matches | W | D | L | For/Against | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai City | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8:2 | 6 | 12 |
| NorthEast Utd. | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8:5 | 3 | 9 |
| ATK Mohun Bagan | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5:2 | 3 | 9 |
| Bengaluru FC | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5:4 | 1 | 6 |
| FC Goa | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6:5 | 1 | 5 |
| Hyderabad | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2:1 | 1 | 5 |
| Jamshedpur FC | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6:6 | 0 | 5 |
| Chennaiyin FC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3:4 | -1 | 4 |
| Kerala Blasters | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3:6 | -3 | 2 |
| Odisha | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2:6 | -4 | 1 |
| SC East Bengal | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0:7 | -7 | 0 |
Coach Robbie Fowler’s side are yet to open their account and the Englishman knows there is no margin for errors if his team is to avoid a fourth successive defeat.
“We have to believe in ourselves. It’s a tough game (against JFC), a game which we can go and try and improve. We haven’t been too bad in terms of performances; results have probably gone against us,” said Fowler.
Despite creating chances, SCEB are yet to score this season, having the second-worst shot accuracy in the league (20.51%). They have taken just 17 shots from inside the box (second-lowest in the league).
However, Fowler was quick to defend his misfiring strikers.
“It’s not always about the strikers. We need others to get the goals too. I would be more worried if players didn’t create chances. We are creating chances,” he said.
But for a side that has conceded seven goals in three matches, they need a plan to stop Jamshedpur’s star striker Nerijus Valskis (5 goals in 4 matches).
Lacking a quality striker upfront, SC East Bengal’s backline too has been badly exposed of late, especially after injury to their captain and defensive mainstay Danny Fox. Up against JFC, boasting last season’s Golden Boot winner Valskis, Fowler’s shaky defence will be further tested.
“We’ll have a plan like we do in every game. We’ll have to place emphasis on stopping them from scoring,” he added.
In their previous game against NorthEast United FC, SC East Bengal dominated the match statistics in terms of ball possession (57%-43%), passing accuracy (74%-59%), number of successful passes (398-186), number of crosses (20-12), number of touches (638-490) and number of corners won (8-2).
However, the Highlanders got two timely goals in each half to seal the contest 2-0 and bag their second win of the season.
“We know that we are trying. We are building something, take the club where it should be. We will do what we can do. We have not been outclassed. We know we can compete,” Fowler said.
Meanwhile, Jamshedpur are riding high on confidence following their 2-1 win over ATK Mohun Bagan, a side that had kept clean sheets in their previous three games. It brought an end to ATKMB’s perfect start to the season.
But Owen Coyle, familiar with Fowler’s philosophy, knows it wouldn’t be easy to play East Bengal.
“It’s going to be a tough game as it was against ATK and we need to make sure we are ready for it. They are very dangerous opponents,” said Coyle, who will play his fifth game in 15 days on Thursday.
Defensively, their performance against ATK Mohun Bagan saw goalkeeper TP Rehenesh in sensational form between the sticks.
Speaking of offense, JFC have scored six times in the last four matches, with five coming from the boots of Valskis. SCEB will have to put in an all-round performance if they are to record their first points of the season.
(With ISL and PTI inputs)