THE BLOG BY CPD FOOTBALL | The World of Indian football and beyond by Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

Mohammedan Sporting takes a cautious approach against BSF

Mohammedan Sporting Club training session. (Photo courtesy: Mohammedan Sporting Club)
Mohammedan Sporting Club training session. Photo courtesy: Mohammedan Sporting Club

Mohammedan Sorting Club aim to book their place in the semifinal of the 70th All India Independence Day Cup in Nagaon, Assam when they take on defending champions BSF Jalandhar in their last Group A game tomorrow at Nurul Amin Stadium, kick-off 5 pm.

A win for Black Panthers would all but secure them a spot in the semifinals but there is no complacency from coach Raghunath Nandi when it comes to taking on a organised side like BSF.

Mohammedan SC produced an impressive attacking display in their previous match against K.A. Morning Star Club, however, they were wasteful in front of goal and the 1-0 victory was a poor return for their efforts in the final third.

The slippery and uneven surface didn’t help the Mohammedan SC cause either, as the technical, ground-based football they are accustomed to wasn’t able to be employed to the degree that would have liked.

Nandi has admitted Morning Star Club were an impressive team to face but his team didn’t help themselves either with decision making and passing the first to fall by the wayside.

The veteran tactician thinks opportunities were there for his side but they just weren’t accurate enough – something they absolutely need to improve.

In addition, the frustration at being unable to find the back of the net themselves left them vulnerable to counter attacks which is exactly the weakness that Nandi would try and address before facing BSF.

“We are expecting a difficult match against BSF,” Nandi said. “They are a very organised side and we have prepared well for them.”

“It would be a mistake to underestimate BSF. We will go into the match with full respect to our opponent. It’s a very important game and we can’t be complacent,”

“For us we’ll try to replicate the first game; control the tempo, play at our speed and try to be organised with the ball.” Nandi concluded.