We are a different side now, proclaims Kashyap
SHILLONG: After a break of almost two months, the I-League will begin its second phase on Tuesday when Rangdajied United FC play at Churchill Brothers in a battle between the bottom two clubs of the season so far.
The fixture will be held in Vasco, Goa, at the Tilak Stadium at 5:00pm.
The Blues are two points ahead of their Tuesday hosts (12 to 10), but have also played one more match (14 to 13).
Added to that will be Churchill’s tremendous form coming into the restart.
The Goan club, who are I-League defending champions, suffered an ignominious first half to the season with just two victories to their name.
But they turned things around during the break, when they lifted their first Federation Cup title in Kerala last month.
Churchill seemed to return to the best of their form in the Fed Cup, winning all of their matches.
On their way to the trophy, they beat strong teams like Pune FC, United SC, Mohun Bagan and Sporting Clube de Goa.
RUFC, on the other hand, were not able to deliver the goods.
Playing in what was dubbed the ‘Group of Death’, the Shillong club drew two of their games and lost a third.
Nevertheless, their coach Santosh Kashyap is itching to get going in the League.
“There is no other alternative but to win,” Kashyap was quoted as saying on the official I-League website on Monday.
“This is a difficult league but it’s also a very exciting challenge. There is little that separates most of the teams.”
Indeed, there is only an eight-point spread between Salgaocar in fifth place and Churchill in 13th.
“We are a different side now,” Kashyap went on to say. “The team that started the I-League is different to what you will see in the second phase. This is a much better team.”
One positive for the new I-League club is that all four foreigners are fit and available for selection.
Rangdajied are facing a double Goan challenge, as they will take on Dempo (in 10th place) on February 15, leaving little time between the two crucial outings.
The Blues’ coach, however, was bullish about the challenge.
“It’s a huge motivation to be playing against such teams. We believe we have the team that can better both Churchill and Dempo, but we will take it one match at a time. Let’s tackle Churchill first,” he said.
A victory on Tuesday will lift the North East team at least temporarily above Mohammedan Sporting and into 11th place, but defeat would see them sink to the bottom of the standings once again.
Having only entered India’s top tier of football this season, Rangdajied were given a certain amount of leeway in the opinions of many as they struggled to register their first points.
However, positive intent will not count for much unless they convert their fiery spirit on the pitch into much-needed victories.
The Blues will have a tough going of it in the second half of the season, with five away matches and five at home.
They will hope to improve on their form from the last couple of months of 2013, when their performances took an upswing, which had been confidently promised by Kashyap.
Their first victory came on December 1 when they stunned Mohun Bagan in Kolkata 2-0.
But they had already won over many fans in Shillong and farther afield in their impressive comeback draw against Dempo at the JN Stadium, Polo, in their first home match on October 4.
After that, there was also the incredible game against Pune FC on December 11, which saw the Blues come from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
November marked the true turning point for the club last year, and the Chosen Ones must carry that momentum forward into this year.
From scoring just three goals in their first seven matches (five defeats, two draws), RUFC turned things around and scored 11 in their next seven (two wins, one defeat, four draws).
But with the League as competitive as it has been this season, they have still struggled to climb out of the relegation zone, despite their better performances.
Meanwhile, Churchill need to kickstart their I-League campaign into gear after a torrid first half to the season and this was noted by coach Mariano Dias on Monday.
“We have to rise up the standings now. After the Federation Cup triumph, the responsibility is more now. I am sure this will be the perfect kind of inspiration for the boys to turn it around in the league,” he said.
“When we restart, our first aim is to save relegation and finish in the top-six bracket,” Dias added.
The recent addition of Anthony Wolfe paid off in Kerala and his partnership with Balwant Singh and Abdelhamid Alshabana could prove key.
Costa Rican striker Cristian Lagos, who did not play in the Fed Cup, will also add more fire to the attack.
The Blues, for their part, will bank on the strength of their foreign line-up with Edmar Figueira, Kim Song Yong, Lamine Tamba and Yohei Iwasaki.
David Ngaihte may not be fit to play, however.
One big absence that will be felt is under the bar, with Subrata Paul now plying his trade in Denmark. In his place has come Rehnesh TP, according to reports, who has worked with Kashyap in the past at ONGC.
All in all, the I-League will restart with what should be a thrilling game of football between two determined sides.