East Bengal coach Alejandro refuses to give up hope despite loss to Mohun Bagan

KOLKATA: Such was Alejandro Menendez's 'obsession' with winning the I-League - having missed the target by a whisker in his maiden attempt - that he decided to use the Durand Cup and CFL Premier Division as pre-season preparation for "the bigger challenge", ignoring the club's call to gun for glory in the season-opening tournaments in its centenary year.
Seven matches after throwing down the gauntlet, Alejandro's dream is fast threatening to be another false dawn.The latest setback in the Spanish coach's ambitions came on Sunday when he lost his unbeaten run against Mohun Bagan with a 1-2 defeat. It was the red and golds' third defeat in a row in the I-league.
Having played second fiddle to Kibu Vicuna's current league leaders for most of the match at Salt Lake Stadium, East Bengal came alive in the final 20 minutes when they reduced the margin but fell short of salvaging a point.
It's been a horrendous start to the new year for East Bengal as they have bowed to Churchill Brothers, Gokulam Kerala FC and now Mohun Bagan in the span of a fortnight. The derby debacle pushed them further down the championship race with 8 points from 7 matches, 9 points adrift of leaders Mohun Bagan. Alejandro, however, refused to give up, saying there's still a long way to go in the competition.
As he pointed out, East Bengal had suffered three losses in a row - against Minerva Punjab FC, Chennai City FC and Aizawl FC - last season as well before staging a remarkable comeback in the second half of the league to finish runners-up, only to lose the title to Chennai City by a point.
Alejandro insisted that he has the belief in his team to script a similar turnaround.
"We were the best in the league until January 4 and have now lost three matches. But I'm not worried. We had also lost three consecutive matches last year but staged a fightback. If you want to know whether this defeat (to Mohun Bagan) is a setback to our I-League hopes, you should ask me this question in May or April, not now," Alejandro pointed out.
The East Bengal coach, however, admitted that his players were "tense" in the first half, because of "firstly, the pressure of a derby and, secondly, coming into the match after suffering two losses in a row."
"But there's lot of positives to take from this game. Especially from the way we played in the second half," he insisted.
While Alejandro has his task cut out, Bagan coach Vicuna refused to get carried away despite consolidating their position at the top.
"We have played just 40 per cent of the league. We need humility. We played well in the CFL but we did not win. We are happy today because of the result. But we have to improve a lot. From Tuesday we have to focus on the Neroca match. There's still a long way to go," Kibu said as his team extended their unbeaten run to six matches, including five wins.
"We have to focus on the reality and the reality is that we can improve. We can do better. It's true we are playing too many matches in January. Mentally it becomes difficult," he added.
It was a moment to cherish for Joseba Beitia as well who, like in the drawn derby in the CFL, received another Man-of-the-Match award. Just like in other matches, he reflected the team's fluidity and vision, scoring one and setting up the other.
A section of Mohun Bagan supporters unfurled a banner of the I-League trophy, with the words 'bring it back' written below it. The Spanish playmaker, however, echoed his coach's sentiments. "More than my MoM award, what matters most is that we won and it's an important win. But we have to keep improving and doing our best to reach our destination," he maintained.