Mohun Bagan coach Karim Bencherifa’s approach to the I-League is not very complicated. “You got to win almost all your home matches and soft away matches. Against the title contenders, draws are welcome in their lairs,” he says.

The enormity of the I-League season can be tough to swallow at times and maybe it is better to divide the

26-game schedule into six or seven-game chunks and set targets for each of them. It could be tough for the players to maintain focus for such a long period. Short-term goals can be easier for the players and coach to digest and can help them recover in the long run.

On Tuesday, the day after the last year’s runners-up failed to squeak through their first test, the players and the coach went back to the drawing board to evaluate their performance and regroup.

“We must get better defensively all around. And we must get our act together fast,” Bencherifa told The Indian Express.

Indeed, defensive improvement is the need of the hour for Bagan should they want to be title contenders. Bagan defenders are too soft, and are easy meat for well-built foreign strikers. Okolie Odafa, Edmilson Marques and Edmar Joshimar — all enjoyed toying with Deepak Mondal & Co. It is widely accepted that professional football starts at six feet and 80 kg if one is not exceptionally skillful. Bencherifa admits this and wants to overhaul his defence. A good and strong central defender can solve the problem who will allow Mondal to move to the wide position in the rearguard. With due respect to Mondal, he is not getting any younger and doesn’t have the height or power to lead the defence from centre. The club is reportedly searching for someone under the Asian quota and has contacted a couple of players — one from Palestine and the other from Uzbekistan.

... contd.