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Mumbai City hope Forlan will end jinx
MUMBAI: After two seasons of dejection, Mumbai City FC will hope their luck with their marquee player will turn this season. The franchise lost Freddie Ljungberg
MUMBAI: After two seasons of dejection, Mumbai City FC will hope their luck with their marquee player will turn this season. The franchise lost Freddie Ljungberg for a major chunk of the season due to injury in the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League (ISL), while Nicolas Anelka chose to focus on his managerial duties in the second season thereby limiting his time on the pitch.
By contrast, Diego Forlan has had a good initiation to the league, scoring once and assisting a goal in two matches. Forlan has often cut a lone figure up front in Mumbai’s first two matches while the rest of the team closed ranks to defend as a unit.
However, whenever given the ball, he has shown glimpses of his class like in the first match against FC Pune City when he gently caressed a cross with the outside of his boot to set up a goal for Matias Defederico.
He also scored the team’s winner from the penalty spot against NorthEast United FC.
Forlan, in a column for a Middle Eastern newspaper, admitted that starting alone up front as a centre forward was a challenge and he needed to “drop back to get involved in the game”.
His off-the-ball impact on the pitch too cannot be ignored. Against NorthEast United, with rival defenders marking him closely, spaces opened up for Defederico to exploit.
An area of concern, however, was that Forlan was seen clutching his left thigh before signaling to the bench to be substituted in that match. There are doubts whether the 37-year-old will start against Atletico considering Tuesday’s match will be Mumbai’s, and Forlan’s, third in nine days.
Mumbai manager Alexandre Guimaraes chose to keep his cards close to his chest. “After lunch tomorrow I will know with whom exactly I can start. We have to wait till then to know which player will start.”
Should he start, Atletico de Kolkata manager Jose Molina said he had not drawn up any special plans for the Uruguayan striker.
“There is no special plan (for Forlan). I don’t like to focus on one player. I think they have good players in attack, midfield and defence. I like my team defending as a team, together, and against a team, not one or two players. We know how to defend,” said Molina.
