Mohammedan Sporting Club coach Subrata Bhattacharya, wants ‘a big push’ from his team as they look to bounce back from their Durand Cup defeat when they take on Aryan Club on Wednesday, kick-off 3 PM.

The Black Panthers face Aryan at Mohammedan Sporting Ground in their 2019/20 Calcutta Premier Division ‘A’ opener, but go into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat against Mohun Bagan in Durand Cup last weekend.

Bhattacharya is hoping that his side can forget about the result against Mohun Bagan and focus on getting back on track. The Black Panthers will also be motivated to avenge their loss against Aryan in the previous campaign.

Speaking to mohammedansportingindia.com ahead of the clash, Bhattacharya said, “We need a big push from the players to put the past defeat behind. We will field a team that is ready tactically, physically and with the desire to go win the game.”

Tactically Mohammedan SC looked poor with defenders were exposed and looked incredibly vulnerable. There was no intensity in their play, they kept playing long balls, losing possession cheaply and failed to find the penetration needed to threaten the rival goal, and Bhattacharya has acknowledged that things have to improve in order to win their next fixture.

“We can’t be coming out flat like that,” said Bhattacharya. “We have to find a way to recover the team. This is a match where we need to show character.”

The former defender conceded that there might a considerable amount of pressure to win against Aryan, but he insists pressure can sometimes be a positive influence.

‘‘About the pressure‚ every coach‚ every player that comes here to Mohammedan SC needs to understand‚ needs to accept that pressure‚” said Bhattacharya.

“Our job is to close the pressure because this is a big club that has got high expectations from the fans. We need to manage this pressure for the positive,” he added.

Aryan, on the other hand, beat Peerless SC 4-3 in Calcutta Premier Division last Friday. While Mohammedan SC will be fancied to win this tie but Aryan are not just about to walk in lying down. With the likes of Ejiogu Chinedu Emmanuel and Danjuma Kuti in the ranks, Rajdeep Nandy’s men will always pose a goal threat and Bhattacharya is expecting a tough encounter.

(Mohammedan Sporting Club)