Igor Stimac announced his 25 men squad for the upcoming games for the World Cup Qualifiers against Afghanistan on 22nd and 26th of March. After a disappointing result in AFC Asian Cup Indian Head coach received a significant bashing from the Indian Football fans. India is currently in a third position and they need to be back on 2nd position to qualify for the third round which Mr. Stimac is desperately looking for. Now is the time to regain the respect of the fans by winning these two back to back matches against Afghanistan. In this squad 8 Mohun Bagan players are included from which 4 players should be featuring in the playing XI for sure.
1. Manvir Singh
The first name would be Manvir Singh who is in blistering form recently. He has total 8 goal contributions in this year ISL with 2 goals and 6 assists. He has been operating in both the wings and played as an out and out winger as well as wing back if and when needed. His average rating was 7.6 per match in Indian Super League which is very good for a Indian player. His passing accuracy is 79% and created 26 chances so far. He also scored goal for the National team recently against Kuwait and also good in the air. Despite his poor performance in AFC Asian Cup, Igor Stimac still has a trust in him and his recent forms indicating that he should be the best fit for the left wing in the Indian Team.
2. Subhasish Bose
The Mohun Bagan captain Subhasish Bose is another inform player. He is probably in his best of form right now. He has a very high rate of successful passes and till now completed 692 passes in 18 matches. He also has that rare ability as a defender to dribble past his opponent till now he completed 13 successful dribbles. He is good in Aerial duels as well as in ground duel and has a very high percentage (75%+) of duels won ratio. Till now he committed 19 blocks and 91 recoveries of the ball which is highest among any Indian Player playing in the league this season. His average rating is 7.4 so far.
3. Sahal Abdul Samad
Due to the injury Sahal missed a big opportunity to prove his potential in AFC Asian Cup. But now after he recovered fully and slowly back to his old flares which he used to exhibit prior his injury. He created 6 big chances so far in this season which is highest among the Indian Players and also has 5 goal contribution in this year ISL. He has a passing accuracy of 78% and completed 268 successful passes from 13 matches. He is one of the best dribbler of this Indian squad and already completed 22 successful dribbles in ISL. We severely missed the creativity of Sahal in Asian Cup and Indian fans eagerly waiting for his return into the Indian Team. His average rating is 7.3 so far.
4. Deepak Tangri
Starting as a Center back in Mohun Bagan academy now settled his role in defensive midfield, Deepak Tangri suddenly came to limelight after Igor Stimac’s surprising inclusion of him to the AFC Asian Cup squad. And when he made the start against Australia there was no looking back. Since then he is a completely different player and currently an essential part of Mohun Bagan midfield. So far he started in 9 matches and played total 12 matches in ISL. He also has a very high passing accuracy of 90% which is 2nd highest among all Indian Players. Till now he completed 279 successful passes from these 12 matches. He also has a very high ratio of successful tackles (15), interception (15) and recoveries (37) which is very much required in his role for the team. The dare which he showed against the mighty Australia in Asian Cup is very appreciable. He also is a very good header and already scored 2 goals from his header in ISL. But he has a very bad tendency of conceding cards and that is the main problem he needs to work on. His average rating is 6.9 so far.
5. Vishal Kaith
Unarguably the best performing goalkeeper in Indian domestic circuit but yet to had a start for the National Team. He already had 6 cleansheets in this season alongwith 35 saves. He has a good reflexes and probably the best distribution quality among all the goalkeepers in India. Recently he saved a penalty in the Kolkata Derby and alongwith that probably made the save of the season in the same match from 5 yards. He has one of the best reflexes and all the qualities for a good goalkeeper. Fans are urging for his promotion to be a first choice goalkeeper but it seems that Igor Stimac is still not ready to replace Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in International Matches. His average rating is 6.7 so far.
6. Liston Colaco
Well, after a disappointing last season Liston Colaco back where he belongs to. With 3 goals and 3 assists this season Liston Colaco among the most impactful player of Mohun Bagan squad. He started in 11 matches and played in total 13. He also has a 7.6 average rating which is very good. Till now he made 281 successful passes and had a passing accuracy of 76%. He created total 11 chances so far which is very high. He also is a very skilful player and already has 15 successful dribbles to his name. He has been the most fouled player in Indian Super League with 27 foul committed towards him. He has that X factor which was missing with the Indian Team and one of the best striker of the ball from outside the box.
7. Anwar Ali
After joining Mohun Bagan, Anwar Ali found himself on a different gear. He started this season with a sublime form. In Durand Cup, AFC Cup and first part of the ISL he was rated among the top defenders alongwith all the foreigner playing in India. He only started in 8 matches out of 9 matches he played and had 310 successful passes with 78% passing accuracy. He rated one of the best ball playing defenders in Indian Super League. He cemented his place alongwith Sandesh Jhingan in Indian Central defense but due to his fractured ankle which he suffered during the AFC Cup, he missed the first 2 matches of the World Cup qualifier in November alongwith AFC Asian Cup in January. The Indian Football Team desperately looking towards him to regain the solidity at their back. He is exceptionally good in the air and has the high percentage of aerial duels won ratio. His inclusion surely ease the blood pressure of Igor Stimac. His average rating is 7.1 so far.
8. Anirudh Thapa
Many are surprised with the inclusion of Anirudh Thapa who didn’t have a great year so far. But he started his new journey with Mohun Bagan brilliantly but he seemed to be lost in touch and eventually loosing position to Deepak and Abhishek Suryavanshi in playing XI. Thapa is renowned for his passing ability and distribution quality. His long ball accuracy is among the highest by any Indian Players. Till now he started in 12 matches out of 16 matches he played and had a passing accuracy of 82%. But the problem remains with his defending quality and the ability to track back the opponent during defensive transition is what caught out this season. He can play as central midfielder as well as attacking midfielder but the position is cemented by the option the club has currently. He needs to regain his confident and back to his best. He is still one of the best passer of this Indian Squad. Looking like Mr. Stimac still has the confidence in him and thinks he can be suitable for his midfield. His average rating is 6.8 so far.
For so many decades Mohun Bagan contributing players to the national team and it is a good thing that they are still doing it. Mohun Bagan signed 3 good national team players likes of Sahal, Anwar and Anirudh in this season whereas players like Deepak, Liston and Vishal received their national team call up from this club only. The popularity of Indian domestic football relying heavily on the success of Indian National Team and let’s see how the team will perform in Saudi Arabia against Afghanistan on 22nd of March.
Indian Football Team
Squad vs Afghanistan:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith.
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Mehtab Singh, Rahul Bheke, Nikhil Poojary, Subhasish Bose, Anwar Ali, Amey Ranawade, Jay Gupta.
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Imran Khan.
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Vikram Partap Singh.
AIFF also announced their U23 National Team squad for the match against Malaysia managed by senior pro Nausad Mussa and two Mohun Bagan youngstar Arsh Anwar Sheikh and Abhishek Suryavanshi got their call up to the national team.
Arsh Anwar previously selected for the national team during AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifier while Abhishek got his maiden call up for the team.
Abhishek is the new sensation for Mohun Bagan team and played a significant role in Mohun Bagan midfield. Mohun Bagan head coach has his immense confidence in him. Despite the star started midfield the 21 year old young star got his chances ahead of experienced Anirudh Thapa. He started in 4 matches out of the 8 matches he played. His ability to hold on to the ball on the middle of the park is remarkable along with the quality of ball distribution. He has the average passing accuracy of 87% including the long ball accuracy of 74% which is one of the highest in the league. His interception and ball recovering ability helping him getting the position in the defensive midfield in this star started team. His average rating per game is 6.75 so far.
Arsh Anwer Shaikh got his second call up to the India U23 squad. He played in the Super Cup and in one AFC Cup match in Maldives. He also a very good goalkeeper as we have seen with the Mohun Bagan reserve squad which played in the Calcutta Football League and Reliance Foundation Development League last year. He is yet to play any matches in ISL so far but his reflexes and his ability in the air is exceptional. Recently he made a mistake in all important Kolkata Derby in Super Cup but overall his performance is quite satisfactory.
List of 26 probables for India U23 men’s team camp:
Goalkeepers: Arsh Anwer Shaikh, Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Vishal Yadav
Defenders: Bikash Yumnam, Chingambam Shivaldo Singh, Hormipam Ruivah, Narender, Robin Yadav, Sandip Mandi
Midfielders: Abhishek Suryavanshi, Brison Fernandes, Mark Zothanpuia, Mohammed Aimen, Phijam Sanathoi Meetei, Thoiba Singh Moirangthem, Vibin Mohanan
Forwards: Abdul Rabeeh, Gurkirat Singh, Irfan Yadwad, Isak Vanlalruatfela, Khumanthem Ninthoinganba Meetei, Mohammed Sanan, Parthib Sundar Gogoi, Samir Murmu, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Vishnu Puthiya Valappill
