Fatigue and misfiring foreigners at East Bengal

East Bengal are currently sitting 5 points behind the league leaders and much of that has to do with the back to back games they lost against Salgaocar and DSK Shivajians. These two clubs, erstwhile at the bottom of the table, suddenly found their rhythm as East Bengal found themselves fall short due to three factors: over-dependence on Ranti Martins for scoring goals, below-par shifts put in by Do Dong-hyun and Bernard Mendy and the travelling involved between every single game. 

This international break lets the Red and Golds sit down and address how Bernard Mendy and Do Dong-hyun can be more effective in the coming games. And if Dong-hyun can do better, it will have the added result of taking pressure off Ranti as well. Having a more versatile attack is key to hold their own against Mohun Bagan at the Kolkata Derby that is being held on 2nd April.

Which also means they are getting more than two weeks to prepare for the Derby, while Bagan will be busy worrying about AFC Cup and the trip to Aizawl. Having that advantage can end up being crucial; and there's no better way of regaining momentum in a league title race than winning the Derby. The international break has given East Bengal the foundation; it's all about how coach Biswajit Bhattacharya builds on it now.