Jose Ramirez Barreto has been gearing up for the Federation Cup ever since he limped out of the derby against East Bengal on October 25. Teary-eyed, the Brazilian was visibly upset at not finishing the game, which Mohun Bagan won 5-3.
Remind him of that day after a nearly two-hour training session at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Saturday, he still regrets watching Mohun Bagan win from the sideline. "It was a very important match for us. Not only were three points at stake but because of the fact it was against East Bengal in a derby.
I regret not being at the centre of the field at the end of the match. But in the end we won and that was hugely satisfying," he said.
"Since then I have been working on my body and slowly regained match fitness. I had set myself a target of making a comeback in the Federation Cup and I am confident of playing well on Monday (against Mohammedan Sporting in the opener)."
Barreto agreed expectations are high in the absence of reliable midfielder Marcos Pereira who had successfully bottled up the dangerous Beto and Climax Lawrence in the 1-0 win over Dempo in the Federation Cup final last time but at the same time iterated that the defending champions have the means of beating the odds.
{{/usCountry}}Barreto agreed expectations are high in the absence of reliable midfielder Marcos Pereira who had successfully bottled up the dangerous Beto and Climax Lawrence in the 1-0 win over Dempo in the Federation Cup final last time but at the same time iterated that the defending champions have the means of beating the odds.
{{/usCountry}}Barreto said Japanese replacement for Bhutia - Sueoka Ryuji- could also be a difficult customer any day. Talk about his partner Edeh Chidi, Barreto couldn't stop praising the Nigerian. "We have been combining well over the past few days in practice and hope to improve."
Mohun Bagan play Mohammedan Sporting on Monday in what has been dubbed as the Group of Death.