Arunava about Football A look at football & the world through my eyes!
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One swallow does not a summer make, and that could well be true for the I-League too. But it will be tough to convince Mohammedan Sporting fans that the title and the subsequent promotion to the ISL aren’t in their hands now. If it wasn’t enough that they beat Gokulam Kerala away from home, to add gloss to a perfect week their closest challengers dropped points — and tempers — at theirs. The next set of fixtures is almost a soother to the high drama, a pause, and yet, at this stage of the season the tiniest of errors are punished in the biggest of ways.
ON THE BOUNCE OR BOUNCE BACK
One game was all it took for Gokulam to go from title contenders to fourth on the table. Fortunately for them, the chasing pack is made up of teams that are stuck close to each other — the difference between them and the second is just one point. Also fortunately for them, they can bounce back from that demoralising loss perfectly against Real Kashmir, who have flown above them on the table. It’s a similar situation for the Snow Leopards who tend to do brilliantly against teams above them but not so much against teams below. They have now beaten Mohammedan and Sreenidi away from home and yet it’s tough to see them dislodging either as favourites for promotion to the ISL. If they really want to stamp their credentials and be taken seriously, Kozhikode, not Kashmir, is perhaps the place to do it.
SWALLOW IN THE SUNSHINE
Sreenidi Deccan had four wins on the trot when they took on Mohammedan a couple of weeks back, and even held them to a creditable draw, to even the scales of the title race. The loss to Real Kashmir has halted the train in a big way. It not only puts them five points off the pace but also means they now have no margin for error and still have to play one of the contenders. This is how a title slips away, and yet in the league where anything does happen, anything can happen. Delhi FC aren’t an easy prospect by any means, but for a team with ambitions like Sreenidi, this cannot be a venue to drop any more points. It’s time to swallow their pride, slug down and make sure they don’t drop any more points. The rest is out of their hands now.
CRUISE CONTROL, NOT AUTOPILOT
When Mohammedan fans look at their remaining fixture list for the season, they will rest easy, knowing that they only have to play one of the top contenders now — Real Kashmir — and will be favoured to win all six other fixtures. It’s best to be cautious and controlled, rather than confident and predictable. Namdhari might not look much but are unbeaten in three and have taken a huge scalp in Gokulam Kerala not too long back. Winable fixtures do not mean won, and Mohammedan know their destiny is in their hands. Which also means if they slip up, they will only have themselves to blame.
RELEGATION, REDEMPTION & RIVALRY
In a week of low drama, it is appropriate that the biggest game will be a derby between the neighbours Aizawl FC and Shillong Lajong. The former registered a resounding victory in the previous encounter this season — on the road no less — and Lajong will hope to exact some revenge. Especially to wash off the loss to Churchill Brothers who escaped with a late winner against them last week. There is a sense perhaps in Churchill now that they may be safe from dropping down this season. And that’s more than can be said for NEROCA, their next opponents. There is a huge gap between them and safety, but they also have three games in hand to their nearest challengers Rajasthan United. Mathematically, they still have their destiny in their own hands and if they win those they could be safe, but with the way their form has been — eight losses on the trot — there seems little chance of an escape anymore.
