‘Motivated’ FC Goa look to end Mohun Bagan run

Panaji: Whatever yardstick you may use to measure the teams, Mohun Bagan Super Giant nose ahead of FC Goa.
The points, goals scored, goals conceded, longest winning streak, unbeaten run, clean sheets, overall head-to-head record, even versatility in attack – Goa have nine different goal-scorers this season, Mohun Bagan 10 – the Kolkata giants appear to be in a different zone.
No wonder Goa coach Manolo Marquez calls them the favourites to win the race for the Indian Super League (ISL) Shield. The defending champions are two points ahead of Bengaluru FC with a match in hand right now, and seven ahead of Goa, who they face at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Friday
“It’s the kind of game where the player does not need any motivation from me,” Manolo told reporters during the pre-match media interaction on Thursday. “If you don’t have motivation (to play Mohun Bagan), maybe (you have to) go home and play another sport. But I know that the players are very motivated. Mohun Bagan will be very motivated too. I feel we can watch a good game, and let’s hope we can get the three points.”
That’s easier said than done.
Neither Goa nor Manolo himself has an encouraging record against Bagan. The hosts have won just two of their eight encounters – losing five – while the Goa coach has won just three of his 12 meetings with the Mariners (D5 L4).
“Because we have a big break (Goa play their next game only on Jan 4), it would be good to win the game. I feel we are in a good moment, in some moments, more in terms of results than how we are playing. I feel that the team is very competitive. It’s true that maybe in some moments when we were losing, we were playing better football than now (when the team is winning). But finally, it’s about points or finding the correct balance,” said Manolo.
No coach has found the ‘balance’ better than Jose Molina, previously a winning coach in ISL. Initially struggling – sometimes even uninspiring in pre-season – Bagan have now hit top gear, winning games even when they are far from their best. For an appropriate example, look at the last three games; a late strike against Chennaiyin FC with Jason Cummings rising from the bench to score the winner, two goals in seven second-half minutes against NorthEast United, both scored by domestic players, and then there was that 90+5 screamer from Alberto Rodriguez against Kerala Blasters.
“We are working really hard trying to win the Shield,” coach Molina told TOI. “But, right now, the most important (target) is to win the match against Goa.
We have had good performances so far, I’m happy, and the players are doing really well. We have to maintain the momentum.”
Bagan have a squad that is the envy of everyone else. In several games, it’s the substitutes – Jason Cummings, Greg Stewart, Ashique Kuruniyan – who have turned the match on its head in the second half.
Against Goa, even with Stewart missing the game with an injury, the visitors will still have enough firepower.
“Our mentality is absolutely clear,” said Molina. “We have to fight every day to win every match we play. That’s the mentality of Mohun Bagan, to fight every game until the end. Our club, our management, our fans, the only thing they want is that we win. We have to be absolutely clear why are we in Mohun Bagan. We are here (with the club) to win.”